Pletcher's Bluegrass Cat, Sunriver pegged as Belmont Stakes favorites

Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Bluegrass Cat and Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner Sunriver, excluded from the Derby due to insufficient graded stakes earnings, give trainer Todd Pletcher a formidable one-two punch as the respective morning-line favorite and second choice for the 138th running of the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Belmont Park.
Bluegrass Cat was listed by New York Racing Association oddsmaker Eric Donovan as the 3-to-1 favorite against 11 other three-year-old males entered on Wednesday for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Sunriver is next at 4-to-1 with Derby third-place Steppenwolfer at 9-to-2 and Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) winner Bob and John at 5-to-1.
The 1 1/2-mile Belmont will be run as the 11th of 13 races on Saturday with post time at 6:33 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live during a two-hour broadcast on ABC that starts at 5 p.m.
Bluegrass Cat has not started since finishing 6 1/2 lengths behind Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby on May 6 and that plan by Pletcher to skip the Preakness Stakes (G1) was specifically designed to get the Storm Cat colt to the Belmont Stakes fresh and ready off five weeks rest.
"We purposely gave him a few days off after the Derby and he's bounced back really well," Pletcher said. "He hasn't missed a day since and is doing well [heading into the Belmont]."
Bluegrass Cat is undefeated in two starts at Belmont, including a win in the Nashua Stakes (G3) on October 28. He later added the Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct to his two-year-old resume.
Bluegrass Cat is one of five entrants seeking to win the Belmont after running in the Kentucky Derby and skipping the Preakness, along with Steppenwolfer, Bob and John, Deputy Glitters, and Jazil. The last Belmont winner to run in the Derby but skip the Preakness was Birdstone in 2004; Empire Maker the year before and Commendable in '00 also accomplished the feat.
Sunriver comes into the Belmont after a hard-fought neck victory over Lewis Michael in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan on May 20 at Belmont. The last Peter Pan winner to capture the Belmont Stakes was A.P. Indy in 1992, although Lemon Drop Kid finished third in the '99 Peter Pan before his Belmont victory.
A full brother to two-time champion Ashado, Sunriver was third and 3 1/2 lengths behind Barbaro in the Florida Derby (G1) but was left out of the Kentucky Derby field. Being excluded from the Derby might not have been such a bad thing in the long run, Pletcher said.
"The long-term interest of the horse probably set us up better for the Belmont, but we still would have liked to take a chance in the Derby," Pletcher said. "But it was out of our control, so we went to plan B. The plan then was to run in the Peter Pan and he ran really well in the Peter Pan."
Steppenwolfer has trained impressively at Belmont for trainer Dan Peitz since his third-place effort in the Derby. The Aptitude colt turned in two sharp six-furlong workouts in 1:13.02 on the main track on May 27 and in 1:10.20 on the training track on June 2.
"[The 1:10.20 workout] indicates how well he's doing right now," Peitz said. "I hope he transfers that work to Saturday. He did it in hand and had a great gallop out afterwards. It wasn't like we were asking him to go that fast. If we had asked him for it, then I would have been concerned but he did it on his own."
Peitz said he expected Steppenwolfer, who was far back in the early stages of both the Arkansas Derby (G2) and Kentucky Derby before rallying, to be closer to the pace in the Belmont.
Source: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Zito hopes Gulfstream changes stakes schedule

Racing Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito hopes Gulfstream Park officials consider changes to the track's schedule of stakes races for three-year-olds next season.
Zito will saddle Hemingway's Key in Saturday's Belmont Stakes (G1). Hemingway's Key struggled in a pair of stakes starts at Gulfstream, finishing 11th in the 1 1/8-mile Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on February 4 and eighth in the 1 1/8-mile Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) on March 4.
Gulfstream does not offer two-turn one-mile races, so its two-turn three-year-old stakes races are the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby (G1), all contested at 1 1/8 miles. Gulfstream also offers the 7½-furlong Hutcheson Stakes (G2) on February 4, the seven-furlong Swale Stakes (G2) on March 4, and the 6 ½-furlong Spectacular Bid Stakes on the April 1 Florida Derby undercard.
Zito said the lack of variety in two-turn distances and the lumping together of stakes for three-year-olds on the same cards made things difficult.
"I could never get in a rhythm down there," Zito said. "I heard they're looking at the schedule. They had great horses down there, you look at Barbaro [winner of the Holy Bull and Florida Derby] and some of the others. I think the emphasis needs to be on the three-year-old stakes schedule."
Zito sent out 13 winners from 106 starters at Gulfstream this year before hitting his stride at Keeneland Race Course, where he finished as the meet's leading trainer with 12 winners from 40 starters. Hemingway's Key finished off the board after troubled starts in the Lane's End (G2) and Lexington (G2) Stakes before finishing third in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
Hemingway's Key is not the only Belmont starter who did not find the Gulfstream stakes schedule to be a good fit. Based at Gulfstream, trainer Todd Pletcher shipped Bluegrass Cat to Tampa Bay Downs where he won the Sam F. Davis Stakes and finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3). Pletcher said the Gulfstream races were not falling on the weekends that he wanted to race Bluegrass Cat.
After finishing fifth in an allowance race at Gulfstream on January 15, Deputy Glitters also prepped at Tampa, finishing second in the Sam F. Davis and winning the Tampa Bay Derby.
Source: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

In spite of absences, Belmont Stakes figures to be exciting

The word on the street is that Saturday’s Belmont Stakes won’t be worth watching because neither Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro or Preakness winner Bernardini will compete.
Actually, I am very excited about the field of 12 horses entered in the third jewel of the Triple Crown. The depth of this year’s 3-year-old crop is amazing. Throw in some rain that may fall on Saturday and the race has all of the makings of an old-fashioned test.
The potential field of 12 starters may be trimmed by the time Saturday arrives. Trainer Tom Albertrani, who also trains Bernardini, has said Deputy Glitters will not run if the track comes up muddy. The reason — both of Deputy Glitters’ races on off-tracks were horrendous. Platinum Couple is also entered in a race today, so he may not go in the Belmont.
The race seems fairly simple to me. I was able to throw out seven of the potential starters who I don’t think have a chance to win.
I think the victor will come from a group that includes Sunriver, Jazil, Steppenwolfer, Bob and John and Bluegrass Cat. A victory by any of the five would not surprise me. Bluegrass Cat and Sunriver are the two morning-line favorites and are both trained by Todd Pletcher.
Let’s start with the horses I eliminated. Platinum Couple had better start in today’s race because he has no chance in the Belmont. Double Glance shows nothing to excite me and Hemingway’s Key’s merry-go-round, third-place finish in the Preakness did nothing to impress me. Sacred Light has never crossed the finish line first in his seven starts. His lone win came via disqualification.

He did finish second to Nolan’s Cat in his last start. Nolan’s Cat ran third in last year’s Belmont as a maiden. Deputy Glitters did run nicely twice against Bluegrass Cat at Tampa Bay Downs, but I don’t like him here. High Finance has run evenly behind some good horses and won easily when he races against inferior stock. Oh So Awesome could be a sleeper. He finished a fast-closing third on the slop in his only United States start. He ran long distances in his races in France so he shouldn’t come up short.
Now let’s take a look at the real contenders. Bluegrass Cat had been on the short list of Derby contenders until he ran a clunker in the Bluegrass Stakes. Many got back on his wagon after his second-place finish on the first Saturday in May. The experts are saying that, like so many other horses, he disliked the surface at Keeneland, where he ran badly in the Bluegrass Stakes.
Bob and John has been working like a wild horse in preparation for the Belmont. He had a horrendous trip in the Derby. He could relax on or near the lead and be tough to run down.
It is hard for me to separate my top three horses.
Steppenwolfer always closes well and has been working really well leading up to the Belmont. He is considered by many to be the wise-guy selection.
Jazil was my Derby pick at long odds. He was coming on late and finished fourth. He will be far back early and running at the end when many of the others are gasping for air.
Sunriver seems to be peaking at the right time and has the services of Rafael Bejarano. I think he may be the better suited of Pletcher’s two horses to win the Belmont.
Horses whose names begin with B have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. There are two entrants who could complete an all B Triple Crown — Bob and John and Bluegrass Cat.
My picks — Sunriver, Jazil, Steppenwolfer, Bob and John, Bluegrass Cat, Oh So Awesome, High Finance, Deputy Glitters, Sacred Light, Hemingway’s Key, Double Galore and Platinum Couple. Source: www.thevillagesdailysun.com

Belmont Stakes Facts:

The Belmont Stakes was first run in 1867 for $2,500.00 at the Jerome Park Race Course in New York, and was originally a mile and five eights, but has also been run at a mile and one eighth and a mile and three eights before settling at a mile and a half in 1926
The first Belmont Stakes was won by a filly, Ruthless, who received $1,850.00; second place took $300.00 and an English racing saddle
The Belmont Stakes is known as the “Run for the Carnations” and was named after August Belmont Sr. who help finance Jerome Park
The first “post parade” in America was at the fifth running of the Belmont Stakes in 1871
The first Belmont Stakes to be run at Belmont Park was in May, 1905
Due to the passage of anti-betting legislation in New York State, Belmont Park was closed and there were no Belmont Stakes races in 1911 and 1912
Until 1921 the race was run clockwise in the tradition of English racing
From 1963 until 1967 the Belmont was run at Aqueduct while Belmont Park was undergoing reconstruction
Julie Crone became the first female jockey to ever win a Triple Crown race when she won the Belmont Stakes in 1993 aboard Colonial Affair
Two men have won the Belmont as both a jockey and as a trainer, James Rowe and George Martin Odom
Hall of Fame jockey Bob Ussery has the peculiar distinction in the Belmont, finishing dead last on Folk Dancer in 1962, Bonjour in 1963 and on Jade Amicol in 1968 though he did manage to interrupt the string by finishing next to last on Fleet Shoe in 1966
In 1973 Secretariat set the record for the Belmont and for the mile and a half on dirt that stills stands, his win by 31 lengths is the largest margin of victory in American Grade I Stakes history.
Source: www.americanchronicle.com

The Belmont Stakes, Triple Crown’s Third Jewel

With both Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini out of the race, the 138th Belmont Stakes, horse racing’s final leg of the Triple Crown, appears to be up for grabs.
This year’s best prospect for the Triple Crown, Barbaro, is recovering from a life threating injury sustained in the Preakness. In 131 years of horse racing history 31 horses have gone to the starting gate with the Triple Crown on the line, but only 11 horses have managed to accomplish what is arguably the most difficult event in all of sports.
As the race that can make or break a Triple Crown champion, the Belmont Stakes has established itself as the ultimate test of championship stamina in this country. At a mile and a half, its distance is a rarity in American dirt races although it has been shortened from its original mile and five eights length. First run in 1867, it’s the oldest of the Triple Crown races and the fourth oldest Stakes race in North America behind the Phoenix Stakes (now Keeneland’s Phoenix Breeder’s Cup) in 1831, The Queen’s Plate (Canada) in 1860 and the Travers (Saratoga) in 1864.
Open to 3 year colts and geldings carrying 126 pounds and fillies carrying 121 pounds it truly deserves its soubriquet “the Test of the Champion” as few 3 year olds have the strength or stamina to maintain a winning speed across such a distance. Starting with Silver Charm in 1997 we’ve seen 6 horses enter the Belmont with the Triple Crown within reach, only to see them fall victim to this demanding race. In some cases, like 2004’s Smarty Jones, we’ve seen them end their careers here.
Even without the Triple Crown at stake, the Belmont is deserving of attention for its challenge and tradition, it part summed up by its trophy, a solid silver bowl and cover made by Tiffany & Co. Topped by a silver figure of 1869 Belmont winner Fenian the bowl is supported by three horses - Herod, Eclipse and Matchem, representing the respective superior grandsons of the three Foundation Sires of Thoroughbreds: the Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian and the
Godolphin Barb. The trophy was presented by the Belmont family as a perpetual award for the Belmont Stakes in 1926 and the winning owner keeps the trophy for a year until the next Belmont Stakes winner is crowned.
In an era of athletes pumped up on steroids, rampant drug abuse and fixed games, horse racing has come to represent what is great and noble about athletic endeavor. For this year we can only applaud the Belmont winner, wish a speedy recovery and long life to Barbaro and wait for next year to cheer on a new Triple Crown contender.
The Triple Crown stands as the ultimate test of greatness and the Belmont Stakes is the final jewel in its crown.
Source: www.americanchronicle.com

Baffert believes Belmont good fit for Bob and John

Bob and John galloped for the first time over the Belmont Park surface on Thursday morning, a track that trainer Bob Baffert believes the Seeking the Gold colt will enjoy when he starts in the $1-million Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday.
After a rough trip in the Kentucky Derby (G1) for Bob and John, Baffert believes the 1½-mile Belmont Park oval should prove a good fit for the colt.
"He's still like a young kid," Baffert said. "He doesn't want to get involved in a lot of jostling and he can't really stop and go yet."
Those weaknesses were revealed in the 20-horse Derby, where Baffert said Bob and John backed out of some tight racing early before finishing 17th in the 1¼-mile classic.
Baffert thinks the 12-horse field for the Belmont should spread out enough to allow Bob and John to deliver a performance similar to his winning effort in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) on April 8 at Aqueduct. In that start over a sloppy track, Bob and John tracked Keyed Entry, dueled with that rival in the stretch, and scored a 1½-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile race.
"He should be able to get into his race here," Baffert said. "I had Sarava after his Belmont win and he was like that, in that he could race at a high cruising speed."
John Adger, racing and bloodstock manager for owner-breeder Stonerside Stable, said Bob and John excels when he is able to quickly get into stride.
"We did have a troubled Derby trip. I hate to make excuses and I certainly think the best horse won that day, but we did have some trouble," Adger said. "Bob and John is at his best when he gets into his rhythm. He'll get an opportunity to do that on Saturday."
Bob and John flashed well defined muscles as he entered the sealed track for a gallop on Thursday morning.
"He has really changed in the last few weeks," Baffert said. "I think he has developed and he looks good."
While rain in the New York area stopped on Thursday, Baffert would not mind seeing a sloppy track on Saturday. Bob and John won the Sham Stakes (G3) on a fast track at Santa Anita Park and the Wood Memorial on a sloppy track.
Source: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Bluegrass Cat Is Current Favorite For Saturday's Belmont Stakes

Saturday's Belmont Stakes is the biggest race of the year in New York, but that's not all that's happening at the track.
A new medical clinic opened this week for workers, many of whom are new immigrants and don't have access to health care.
The clinic was recently refurbished by the New York Racing Association.
"Our organization provides services, mostly health, but also well-being services for the backstretch workers,” said Cate Dolan of the New York Racing Association. “Those are the grooms, the hot walkers, the exercise riders. And our most current activity was opening a refurbished clinic."
As for the race itself, it's a wide open field, because for just the second time in 36 years, neither the Kentucky Derby nor Preakness winner will be there. Derby winner Barbaro saw his racing career end at the Preakness when he broke three bones in his right rear leg and underwent surgery. Preakness winner Bernardini will not run after his owner said the colt deserves a break after running three races in quick succession.
Bluegrass Cat, the runner-up at the Derby, is the current favorite.
Source: www.ny1.com

Morning Line Goes to the Belmont Stakes

Starting Thursday, June 8 and running daily through Belmont Stakes day, June 10, The Morning Line returns to bloodhorse.com. The feature, first unveiled during the run up to the Kentucky Derby and continued during the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the participants and players of Thoroughbred racing during racing's major events. Heading into the third and last leg of the Triple Crown, Evan Hammonds, managing editor of The Blood-Horse, will take readers in and around Belmont Park on Long Island. Without Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini, a new classic winner will be crowned at "Big Sandy" Saturday afternoon following the "Test of a Champion."
While The Morning Line will be posted each morning leading up to the Belmont, the journal will be updated several times throughout the day with new entries. Comments, interviews, and observations will be posted from the expansive backstretch at Belmont Park, which includes Hammonds' favorite track kitchen -- The Morning Line; the grandstand and clubhouse of Belmont Park; and from special events in the New York City area.
Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com

Zito puts the buzz in Belmont Stakes

Nick Zito did his best to put a positive spin on Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes.
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini are not running, meaning no Triple Crown try, no rematch, no rivalry, no buzz.
But there was Zito, plugging away for the biggest race of the year in New York.
"It's a competitive field, an interesting field," the Hall of Fame trainer said Wednesday. "The favorite ran second in the Kentucky Derby, the second favorite won the Peter Pan and you have horses running around here and there and they are not running bad."
The last time the Derby and Preakness winners missed the Belmont was 2000, when Commendable won. Zito's Hemingway's Key is a 15-1 long shot in a 12-horse field with Derby runner-up Bluegrass Cat the morning-line favorite at 3-1.
Zito's horses have finished second six times at the Belmont, and his win came with Birdstone, who spoiled Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid in 2004.
Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

Not a smooth morning for Sacred Light

Just as Deputy Glitters was about to start his work, Sacred Light was finishing his, a six-furlong move timed in 1:16.42 that did not go without a few hitches.
First, trainer David Hofmans was hoping to work at 7:30 a.m. with jockey Jose Espinoza, but Sacred Light tore off his right hind shoe late Monday afternoon and was re-shod on all four feet Tuesday morning. Espinoza was unable to work Sacred Light, so regular exercise rider Martin de Rubin was up.
Working immediately after the renovation break, Sacred Light encountered some traffic trouble during the move, as two horses who were working three furlongs broke off just in front of him. De Rubin had to wait on those horses and Sacred Light took some dirt in his face during the work. Clockers did credit Sacred Light with a final quarter in 24.40 seconds.
"The best part of the work was he was finishing down the lane and he galloped out strong," said Hofmans, who won the 1997 Belmont with Touch Gold. "I didn't care about the time, I just wanted him to get around that turn and I wanted him finishing a little bit, and that's about the way he works, so it was good. He looks like he needed the work. He was blowing pretty good."
Sacred Light, a son of Holy Bull, has yet to finish first in a race. He was put up to first by the stewards in a one-mile maiden race at Del Mar last summer. His best race was a second-place finish behind Brother Derek in the Santa Catalina.
Hofmans said he and owner John Amerman decided to come to the Belmont when Bernardini was declared from the race.
Source: www.saratogian.com

Belmont Stakes has rich history

Saturday's Belmont Stakes is named for August Belmont, a financier and New York social leader who died in 1890 at age 74.
Born in Germany, he learned the banking business with the famous Rothschilds.
Belmont came to the United States at age 20 and began work on Wall Street.
He was chairman of the National Democratic Party, president of the American Jockey Club, and the financial backer of Jerome Park Race Track.
Belmont joined racing in the 1860's, a time when the sport needed a man of his stature since the Civil War had disrupted the sport.
The Belmont Stakes, first run in 1867 at Jerome Park, was created as an American equivalent of the English Derby, a race created in 1780.
Its first winner was Hall of Fame filly Ruthless, a New York-bred.
Belmont won the third edition of the Belmont Stakes with Fenian, also a New York-bred.
The Belmont family would go on to win the race with Hastings (1896), Masterman (1902), Friar Rock (1916), Hourless (1917) and Caveat (1983).
When Belmont died, his stable was sold for $639,000, a huge sum of money for that time, and much of his stock was purchased by his son August Belmont II.
He became the breeder of Man o'War, considered by some as the best horse ever produced in America.
The younger Belmont also bred Fair Play, the sire of Man o'War, and the great filly Beldame, winner of the Alabama Stakes.
He, along with William C. Whitney, J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt and others built Belmont Park, which opened in 1905.
Belmont Park is near the site of Hempstead Plains, the first race course built in America in 1665.
Belmont Park is the grandest track in American racing, with its main track oval of 1½ miles and inner turf courses that provide the fairest circumstances for racing.
By comparison, the main track at Saratoga is 1Þ miles, or three furlongs shorter than Belmont.
The Belmont Stakes has come to be known as the 'Test of the Champion,' a reference to its distance and record of producing great winners.
Since 1926, when the distance was fixed at 1½ miles, 41 of its winners became the division champion, most recently Afleet Alex in 2005.
That is more than 50 percent of the 80 runnings since 1926, a phenomenal statistic.
At one point, from 1951 through 1956, every Belmont Stakes winner was division champion, that group consisting of Counterpoint, One Count, Native Dancer, High Gun, Nashua and Needles.
On six occasions in its history, three or more Belmont Stakes winners in succession were also division champion.
So enjoy this great New York tradition on Saturday, and let's hope for an exciting contest.
And give a thought to the contributions of the Belmont family.
Source: www.saratogian.com

Deputy Glitters solid in last work

After an unscheduled 15-day vacation, trainer Tom Albertrani was back at work Tuesday, overseeing the final preparations of Deputy Glitters for Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes.Albertrani, who on May 20 won the Preakness with Bernardini, was forced to serve a 15-day suspension from May 22 through Monday after one of his horses tested positive for the banned tranquilizer acepromazine on April 1. Albertrani spent three days in the Bahamas with his wife, Fonda, and their daughters, Teal and Noelle.
"I haven't had a family outing in years, so it was nice in a way, but under the circumstances you don't want to spend your days away like that," Albertrani said.
With rain in the forecast for Tuesday night into Wednesday, Albertrani moved up by one day Deputy Glitters's final workout. Under exercise Simon Harris, Deputy Glitters worked a solid five furlongs in 59.82 seconds, the fifth-fastest of 41 works at the distance over a fast Belmont main track. Daily Racing Form caught the final three furlongs of the work in 35.47 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.02.
"Super work," Albertrani said. "I had him 12 [second furlongs] all the way. He's always been a good work horse; you never really have to ask him to do much. When he's doing good he'll just take a hold of the bit and all you need to do is sit still on him. Like today, he was doing that pretty much on his own. Simon was just sitting on him, which was a good sign."
Deputy Glitters, who won the Tampa Bay Derby over probable Belmont Stakes favorite Bluegrass Cat, finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby. Albertrani said Deputy Glitters was farther back than he would have preferred in the Derby, and the wide trip he had may have made the difference between finishing fourth and eighth.
Source: horseracing.sportsline.com

Pletcher Pair, Bob and John Prep for Belmont

While some trainers altered their plans Monday after unexpected overnight rainfall in New York, two Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-olds completed their final preparations for Saturday's Belmont Stakes (gr. I).With retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr., aboard, Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) winner Sunriver worked over the Belmont Park training track labeled "good" in company with stablemate Adieu, with Sunriver stopping the timer in 1:00 1/5 for five furlongs while galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.
Bluegrass Cat, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), worked five furlongs over the training track in 1:01 3/5, with fractional splits of :13 2/5, :25 1/5, and :37 4/5. With jockey Eddie King aboard, the Storm Cat colt galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 4/5 and "pulled up" seven furlongs in 1:28 2/5.
On the West Coast, Wood Memorial (gr. I) winner Bob and John worked six furlongs in 1:12 1/5, fastest time of the day among the dozen horses working that distance at Santa Anita. The Stonerside Stable homebred son of Seeking the Gold has won four of 10 starts for trainer Bob Baffert.
Despite the off conditions at Belmont, Pletcher said he wanted to get the workouts completed Monday rather than waiting another day.
"They both worked really well," Pletcher said. "I was afraid to work Sunriver by himself this close to a big race. He has steadily improved every day we have had him. In January, February, and March we talked about him being our sleeper."
Concerning the circumstances under which Sunriver did not get to run in the Derby because his earnings in graded stakes did not rank him among the 20 allowed to run in the classic, Pletcher said it was a disappointing turn of events, although "it might have been a blessing in disguise. We got the perfect prep in the Peter Pan."
Sunriver, a Saint Ballado colt owned by Aaron and Marie Jones, has won three of seven starts and earned $281,400.
Of Bluegrass Cat's work, Pletcher said he did not want to do too much Monday. "He was well in hand and got enough out of it without overdoing it."
A homebred racing for WinStar Farm, Bluegrass Cat has won half of his eight career starts, including two graded stakes as a 2-year-old, while earning $561,520.
Two trainers who altered their training plans Monday due to track conditions were David Hofmans and Kiaran McLaughlin.
Hofmans postponed Sacred Light's workout until Tuesday, when the Amerman Racing Stable homebred son of Holy Bull is expected to breeze six furlongs.
McLaughlin said Shadwell Farm's Jazil, a son of Seeking the Gold, would now just be trained up to Saturday's 1 ½-mile Belmont.
Scheduled to work Wednesday is Joseph Lacombe homebred Deputy Glitters, a son of Deputy Commander who won the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) and ran eighth in the Kentucky Derby. Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com

Deputy Glitters, Sacred Light, High Finance in Final Belmont Works

Three candidates for Saturday's Belmont Stakes (gr. I) had their final workouts Tuesday, with Deputy Glitters and Sacred Light working over the main track at Belmont Park and High Finance in action at Aqueduct.Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) winner Deputy Glitters, went five furlongs in :59 4/5, sixth fastest time of the day among 47 working that distance, while California-based Sacred Light was timed in 1:16 2/5 for six furlongs, slowest of six workers at that distance. High Finance's time of 1:13 3/5 for six furlongs was the best for three horses working that distance at Aqueduct.
With trainer Tom Albertrani back on the scene on the first day since sitting out a 15-day suspension, Deputy Glitters went to the track under exercise rider Simon Harris shortly after the track reopened following the maintenance break.
Albertrani said the workout by the son of Deputy Commander was just what he wanted as he timed the colt in "12s" for each eighth of a mile of the work. "That is what you like to see going into a race like the Belmont," Albertrani said.
The work was initially scheduled for Wednesday but Albertrani moved it up since there is an 80% chance of rain in the New York area Wednesday.
A homebred for Joseph Lacombe Stables, Deputy Glitters has won two of eight starts while earning $205,548. In his most recent effort he finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Sacred light, meanwhile, was originally scheduled to work at 7:30 under jockey Jose Espinoza. Plans changed for the son of Holy Bull as farrier Ray Amato, Jr., was called in to replace a shoe damaged when Sacred Light kicked a wall in his stall Monday.
After Amato completely re-shod the colt, he went to the track at 8:30, with exercise rider Martin DeRubin aboard. During the breeze, two other horses hooked up with Sacred Light, who completed his work while on the inside of the track closest to the rail.
"I was glad it happened," trainer David Hofmans said of the unplanned work in company. "He got a lot of dirt in his face and he ran through it. The best part of the work was that he was finishing down the lane and he galloped out strong. I didn't care about the time. I just wanted him to get around that turn and I wanted him finishing well. This is about the way he always works. He looks like he needed the work because he was blowing pretty good."
Sacred Light's sole victory in seven starts came via the disqualification of the first-place finisher in a maiden special at Del Mar last August. The Amerman Racing Stables homebred ran second in the Santa Catalina (gr. II) and was third to Belmont contender Bob and John in the Sham Stakes (gr. III).
Trained by Richard Violette for owner West Point Stable, High Finance broke his maiden at Keeneland on April 15 in his fourth career start. The son of Talk Is Money followed with a five-length romp in allowance company at a mile over Belmont Park's main track. Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com

Steve Haskin's Belmont Report: Who Needs a Triple Crown Winner?

With each failed Triple Crown attempt comes an outcry from racing fans and horsemen that the structure of the Triple Crown needs changing. If it is the horses' safety and longevity that is the impetus for their comments, then no one can take issue with them. If, however, it is based on the fact that we have gone 28 years without a Triple Crown winner and racing desperately needs a horse to finally win all three races, that's a different matter.
Who says racing needs a Triple Crown winner? Yes, it will result in immortality for one horse and his connections, but for the sport, it will only be a brief high. The long-range effect could have an opposite reaction. So, we finally have a Triple Crown winner. Now what? Will mainstream America care any longer when a horse attempts to sweep the Triple Crown or will they say, "Well, it's been done, so it's no big deal anymore." As long as it seems an improbable, almost unattainable, quest, people will flock to Belmont Park hoping to be there when it is finally accomplished. Everyone wants to be a part of history.

Following the Triple Crown sweeps of Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed from 1973-'78, was there really that much buzz over Spectacular Bid's attempt in '79 or had people become blasé about it and were expecting it to happen again?

The Boston Red Sox, who for almost a century had taken on an almost mystical persona, finally ended one of the most publicized droughts and "curses" in American sports history. Their fans went wild in disbelief and celebrated for a week or so, and then they came to the stark realization that their beloved losers, the victims of the dreaded "Curse of the Bambino," were now just another team that won the World Series, along with the Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Their quest was over; they no longer were special.

So, while it is important to have a horse trying for the Triple Crown, it is the sizzle that brings over 100,000 fans to Belmont Park, not the steak. Once the steak is consumed it is quickly forgotten.

Sure, we can knock this year's running of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) because the winners of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I) are not in the field, and there is only one grade I winner pointing for the race. But who's to say another major star will not emerge from the race, just as Barbaro and Bernardini emerged from their classic triumphs? After several years of having one standout (occasionally two) in the Belmont field, what's wrong with having a deep, competitive field and a great betting race?

Instead of people asking all day, "So, will Smarty Jones do it?" they can utter racing's newest slogan all day: "Who do you like?"

Speaking of "who do you like," all those who believe in history repeating itself can grab on to an exacta right now.

The last time the Belmont did not have the winners of the Derby and the Preakness was in 2000.

The exacta that year was: Commendable (the 17th-place finisher in the Derby) over Aptitude (the runner-up in the Derby who skipped the Preakness and was the favorite in the Belmont).

If you're looking for an historical angle, it shouldn't take you too long to figure out that this year's exacta will be Bob and John (the 17th-place finisher in the Derby) over Bluegrass Cat (the runner-up in the Derby who skipped the Preakness and likely will be the favorite in the Belmont).

Stretching it a bit, if you want to go for a trifecta, you can always add Steppenwolfer, a son of Aptitude, for third, completing the parallels between the two runnings.

If you happen to be looking for any kind of class angle on former European Oh So Awesome, in his last start in Europe, he finished fifth, beaten nine lengths, in an allowance race at Longchamp. Finishing second, 7 1/2 lengths in front of him, was Darsi, who won Sunday's Group I Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby).

If you're looking for a horse that is bred to love a mile and a half at Belmont, High Finance's paternal grandsire, Deputy Minister, sired Belmont winner Touch Gold; his paternal great-grandsire, Gone West, sired Belmont winner Commendable; his broodmare sire, Conquistador Cielo, won the Belmont by 14 lengths; and his maternal great-grandsire, Vanlandingham, won the 1 1/2-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I).
Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com

Albertrani targets another classic with Deputy Glitters

Trainer Tom Albertrani took the webbing from Bernardini's stall at Pimlico Race Course home with him to Belmont Park and hung it in his office to commemorate the Darley homebred's win in the Preakness Stakes (G1) on May 20.
The webbing displays the Preakness Stakes (G1) logo and what is supposed to be Bernardini's name, but the second "r" is missing, a sign of how far beneath radar Albertrani and Bernardini were while Barbaro commanded the spotlight before the Preakness.
Bernardini and Barbaro will both be absent from the $1-million Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday, but Albertrani may have another sleeper in Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner Deputy Glitters, who will be making his first start since finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at odds of 60.60-to-1, the longest price in the 20-horse field.
The Deputy Commander colt swung 11-wide at the top of the lane in the Derby.
"We were farther back [early] than we were hoping to be," Albertrani said on Tuesday after Deputy Glitters worked five furlongs in :59.82 over the Belmont main track . "We had three horses beat going into the first turn and came with a run. He was 11-wide and ended up finishing eighth and running a pretty good race considering the circumstances. He passed horses at the end and was still closing even though he went so wide, so I thought he finished well.
"Jazil was inside and we were right alongside of him at the half-mile pole," Albertrani continued. "Jazil went on the rail—and we went [outside]—and ended up finishing fourth, and that shows you what a difference it makes, because we were both making our move at the same time."
Tuesday was Albertrani's first day back at Belmont after serving a 15-day suspension for a medication violation. His ban began on May 22, two days after the Preakness, and ended on Monday.
Albertrani used part of his time off to get away to the Bahamas for three days with his wife, Fonda, and two daughters.
"We enjoyed it," Albertrani said. "Other than that, I pretty much stayed around and got caught up on some other things. In one way, I guess I could have used it, but on the other hand you don't like to take it under those kind of circumstances. Everything was under control here."
The Brooklyn native thinks Deputy Glitters deserves more respect than the betting public has displayed for the colt. He said too much emphasis has been placed on Deputy Glitters's poor performance over sloppy tracks in the Champagne (G1) and Wood Memorial (G1) Stakes.
"We know he doesn't handle a sloppy track," Albertrani said. "He was [63.40-to-1 when he finished second to Bluegrass Cat in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa] and 60-to-1 in the Derby. If you throw out the Wood Memorial and Champagne, he's not that far behind Bluegrass Cat."
Deputy Glitters won the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) by two lengths over Bluegrass Cat, who went on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby and is the likely favorite for the Belmont.
Albertrani said Bernardini is in the midst of a bit of a break before he targets the Jim Dandy (G2) on July 29 and Travers (G1) Stakes on August 26, both at Saratoga Race Course.
"He's doing super," Albertrani said. "We're letting him get a little down time now and just gallop. We're not going to do any kind of work with him for another week or so. We'll let him relax and put some weight on him and get a little 'r and r' like I did."
Source: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

No Cause to Believe in Belmont Stakes

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Thursday that Cause to Believe would not run in the Belmont Stakes on June 10 at Belmont Park. Hollendorfer had considered running his gray colt in the third leg of the Triple Crown after a fine 1-mile workout in 1:39.80 Monday at Bay Meadows.
"The owners (Peter Redekop and Peter Abruzzo) and I talked over all the options and decided the best thing to do is keep him on the West Coast instead of shipping him all the way back again," Hollendorfer said.
The Belmont Stakes would have been the third long trip for Cause to Believe in two months. He finished third in the Illinois Derby on April 8 at Hawthorne Park and 13th in the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs and returned to the Bay Area after each race.
"We're looking at the Affirmed Handicap (on June 17) and the Swaps Stakes (on July 8) at Hollywood Park and beyond that at some races at Del Mar," Hollendorfer said.
Cause to Believe, who has six wins, three seconds and a third in 11 starts, was Hollendorfer's second Kentucky Derby starter. The other, Eye of the Tiger, finished fifth in the 2003 Derby and then won the Affirmed Handicap and dead-heated for third in the Swaps Stakes.
Eleven 3-year-olds headed by Bluegrass Cat, Steppenwolfer, Jazil and Sunriver remain under consideration for the Belmont. Bluegrass Cat ran second, Steppenwolfer third and Jazil a dead-heat for fourth in the Kentucky Derby, and Sunriver won the Peter Pan Stakes on May 20 at Belmont Park.
Briefly: Trickey Trevor drew the inside post position and Carthage the outside when entries were taken for Sunday's Grade 3, $125,000 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint. In between are No. 2 Areyoutalkintome, No. 3 Peak a Bootrando and No. 4 Bonfante. ... Lost in the Fog drew the No. 5 post against six opponents in the Grade 3, $150,000 Aristides Breeders' Cup Handicap on Saturday at Churchill Downs. ... Victorina, Lost in the Fog's stablemate, drew No. 6 against eight other 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 3, $150,000 Dogwood Breeders' Cup Stakes also Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Source: sfgate.com

Velazquez a winner in return to races

Jockey John Velazquez marked his return to the races by winning one at Belmont Park on Friday.
Velazquez won the fourth race at Belmont aboard favorite Mr Sam I Am, a 3-year-old gelding trained by Todd Pletcher. It was Velazquez's first race since being sidelined with a cracked right shoulder blade and bruised ribs following a frightening spill at Keeneland in April.
The two-time Eclipse Award winner originally was scheduled to return aboard Scat Daddy in Friday's third race at Monmouth in Oceanport, N.J., but the 2-year-old colt was scratched and entered in Saturday's second race at Belmont.
Velazquez, the regular rider for Pletcher, plans to ease back into shape with two or three mounts per day and will be aboard Bluegrass Cat in the $1 million Belmont Stakes next Saturday. Bluegrass Cat, with Ramon Dominguez subbing, finished second behind Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby in his last start.
Among the nation's top riders, Velazquez was hurt when Up an Octave collapsed and rolled over the jockey after winning the Forerunner Stakes on April 20.
On Thursday, Velazquez said, "I am fit, but when it comes to races you have to be stronger than that. That is why I'm starting right now. ... I'm confident I'll be ready. I'll definitely be 100 percent by then."Source: sports.espn.go.com

Turf horse will take a shot at Belmont Stakes

Barry Irwin and his Team Valor ownership syndicate has had a modicum of success in the Belmont Stakes. In 1992, Team Valor finished second behind A.P. Indy with My Memoirs. In 1998, Team Valor and Earle Mack co-owned Thomas Jo, who finished third behind Victory Gallop and Real Quiet. A third Team Valor horse, Dr Greenfield, finished last in 2001.
This year, Irwin and Team Valor are back again with Oh So Awesome, a son of Awesome Again who spent most of his career racing on turf in Europe. In his North American debut, Oh So Awesome finished third in the off-the-turf Match the Hatch Stakes over a sloppy Belmont track, a performance encouraging enough for him to earn a spot in the field for the $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 10.
The Belmont field, which will lack both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, lost one prospective starter on Thursday, when trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Cause to Believe would not ship from northern California. That reduced the field to 11 probable starters.
On Thursday, Oh So Awesome worked seven furlongs in 1:27.86 over the Belmont main track. He worked in company with Mumble Jumble, a 6-year-old turf horse. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Oh So Awesome galloped out a mile in 1:41, and he was pleased with how the horse went.
"I didn't expect him to work a mile in 1:38. He's not the kind of horse that's going to do that," said Jerkens, who also trained Thomas Jo. "He didn't do any more than he had to. I think he got a lot out of it. He's kind of a horse a little on the small side. There's no extra flesh on him. We'll have a chance to come back and give him a little bit of a blowout next week."
Regarding the Belmont, Jerkens said that, aside from Bluegrass Cat and Sunriver, "I think it is pretty wide open."
Oh So Awesome caught Irwin's attention because he was a son of Awesome Again who ran effectively on the turf in Europe.
"Awesome Again is strictly a dirt sire. He's useless as a turf sire," Irwin said. "This horse had shown enough on the turf already. We knew he could run long and was sound, and we figured if this horse moved up over here on the dirt he'd be a viable Belmont [Stakes] horse."
Irwin's original plan was to keep Oh So Awesome in Europe with trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and ship him here right on top of the Belmont. Irwin did that in 1992 with My Memoirs. He tried it again in 2001 with Dr Greenfield, but Dr Greenfield became fractious at the starting gate and was never a factor, finishing last behind Point Given.
Irwin said Rouget told him he thought it would be a good idea to ship Oh So Awesome to America early.
"The guy bailed on us is what happened," Irwin said.
Irwin then had planned to run Oh So Awesome in a second-level allowance race on May 19, but that race didn't fill. Instead, Jerkens entered Oh So Awesome as a main-track-only entrant in the Match the Hatch, hoping the race would come off the turf. It did, and Oh So Awesome rallied along the rail to finish third.
"I think his race the other day was surprisingly good for us, because he had never been on that kind of track," Irwin said. "He was on the deepest part of the goo down the stretch. He had a long stride, and he kept coming."
Mike Smith, who is winless with 10 Belmont mounts, will ride Oh So Awesome in the race.
Source: sports.espn.go.com

Belmont contenders Oh So Awesome, Hemingway's Key turn in works

Team Valor Stables's Oh So Awesome breezed seven furlongs in 1:27.84, the best of three timed works as that distance, on Thursday at Belmont Park in preparation for an expected start in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 10.
"It wasn't spectacular; he's not that kind of horse, but he did just about what I expected him to do," trainer Jimmy Jerkens said.
The bay Awesome Again colt finished third in the Match the Hatch Stakes over a sloppy track at Belmont on May 19 in his North American debut. Oh So Awesome recorded one win, two seconds, and one third in six starts in France
"All I know is that Team Valor brought this horse over to run in the Belmont," Jerkens said. "I thought his last race was a good one, and I think he can move forward off it. I mean, I think that Todd Pletcher has the two most accomplished horses in the field [Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Bluegrass Cat and Grade 2 winner Sunriver], but other than that, I think it is pretty wide open."
Preakness Stakes (G1) third-place finisher Hemingway's Key breezed five furlongs in 1:01.29, third-fastest of nine timed works at the distance, over the Oklahoma training surface at Saratoga Race Course.
Source: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Jockey Velazquez Says He Will Be '100%' By Belmont Day

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey John Velazquez, who will ride in his first race Friday since recovering from an injuries suffered at Keeneland in April, says he will be at full strength by June 10 when he rides WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I).Velazquez suffered a cracked right shoulder blade and broken ribs when Vinery Stables' Up an Octave broke down while galloping out after the finish of Keeneland's 1 3/16-mile Forerunner Stakes. The 3-year-old colt, who rolled over on the jockey, was euthanized after suffering a compound fracture in his left front leg.
Initially, Velazquez was not expected to return to competition until late June or early July.
With jockey Ramon Dominguez substituting for Velazquez in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), the Todd Pletcher-trained Bluegrass Cat finished second, 6 1/2 lengths behind the now-injured Barbaro.
Speaking Thursday during a National Thoroughbred Racing Association teleconference, Velazquez said his recovery progressed much quicker than he and his doctors initially anticipated and that he is now fit enough to ride one or two horses a day as he builds up his strength over the next week leading up to the Belmont.
"I am fit, but when it comes to races you have to be stronger than that," the rider said. "That is why I am starting right now. I am fit enough to ride one or two races (daily) but not a full card. Definitely by next week I will be 100%."
In his first mount back, Velazquez is scheduled to ride the Pletcher-trained 2-year-old Scat Daddy in the third race at Monmouth Park on Friday. Velazquez said the colt was pre-entered in maiden races at both Belmont Park and Monmouth Park, but the Belmont race did not fill. So, he is making his comeback at Monmouth Park.
Unable to do much except spend time with his family while injured, Velazquez said his recovery was enhanced by regular massage therapy and weekly acupuncture treatments.
"My body responded very good," Velazquez said, noting that as his shoulder improved he began to move his arm and then began to run on his treadmill. It was not long before he committed to riding horses in the mornings and then realized he could probably be back in time for the Belmont.
In describing the accident on Up an Octave, Velazquez said he remained conscious the entire time and was aware of everything that happened as the horse rolled over his back.
"It felt like he broke me in half. I knew I was hurt bad but I didn't know what was wrong with me at the time," Velazquez recalled
Velazquez said riding in the Belmont at 1 1/2 miles will not pose any greater stress on his body than riding in races at lesser distances. In fact, the jockey said riding in longer races takes less out of a jockey than does a short race.
"It is probably a little easier going mile and a half than going three quarters (of a mile). Going a mile and a half, they are going pretty easy and you don't have to do much. You just wait until your horse is comfortable."
Velazquez said he does not expect Bluegrass Cat to be far off the early pace in the Belmont, but he is not concerned about where the colt is positioned.
"I am really confident in this horse and it doesn't matter where he runs," Velazquez said. Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com

Process of elimination for the Belmont Stakes

No Kentucky Derby winner. No Preakness Stakes winner. No Santa Anita Derby winner. And no Blue Grass Stakes winners. Even though a nice size field will run in the Belmont Stakes, most of the best known three-year-olds are missing.
Skipping the third jewel in racing's Triple Crown will be the first finishers in the Preakness Stakes. Hemingway's Key is the highest placed horse from the Baltimore race. He finished more than 11 lengths behind Bernardini.
The fact that Bernardini is being held out of the Belmont is a disgrace. His connections have a chance at securing the top spot among this year's three- year-olds. A win by Bernardini in the Belmont Stakes would have given the colt the inside track to eventually being named division champion.
The top colts and geldings set to run in the Belmont Stakes are Wood Memorial winner Bob and John, the Wood runner-up Jazil, Kentucky Derby second place horse Bluegrass Cat and the Steppenwolfer who was third in the Run for the Roses.
While the Belmont Stakes is the longest of the Triple Crown events at 1 1/2 miles, speed is a key component in winning. Of the those expected to start Bob and John appears to be the only true speed horse.
Bob and John came into the Kentucky Derby off a solid victory in the Wood Memorial where he stalked the leader took the lead at the top of the stretch and won handily.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Bob and John should be able to control the pace in the Belmont. Veteran jockey Garrett Gomez guided the colt to the win in the Wood Memorial. Let's throw out the Kentucky Derby as simply a bad race.
Jazil finished second to Bob and John in the Wood Memorial with a late rush. He also finished in a dead-heat with Brother Derek for fourth place in the Kentucky Derby. His late running style doesn't normally work in the Belmont Stakes.
Bluegrass Cat disappointed a lot of people when he was fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes and went off at 30-1 in the Kentucky Derby. Before Churchill Downs, he was favored to win four straight starts and five of his first six starts. Because finished a well beaten second to Barbaro it is difficult to know if he woke up in that race.
Steppenwolfer has been in the money in all but one of his nine career starts. He is also a late running thoroughbred who has shown more ability than Jazil. Steppenwolfer is still trying for his first stakes victory. He is the type of horse that can get the 1 1/2 miles if Bob and John is engaged in a speed duel.
Without any of the big names running in the Belmont Stakes casual horseplayers will either stay away from the race or bet lightly. Good prices should be available from a less than stellar field.
Bob and John should go off at odds between 5-1 and 8-1. He will be the horse to beat.
Source: www.sportsnetwork.com

Belmont Stakes 101

The final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, is not only the longest of the three races at one and a half miles but also the oldest. The grueling distance can make or break a horse and is one of the truest tests of stamina in racing. Thirty horses have entered the Belmont with a chance to become a Triple Crown winner, but only eleven have succeeded. The inaugural running of the Belmont Stakes was in 1867 at Jerome Park Racecourse, making it the oldest of all the Triple Crown Races. It was named after prominent banker and Jockey Club president August Belmont. Only four horses went to post in that first Belmont and the winner was a filly named Ruthless, one of only two fillies to have won the marathon race. Since then the Belmont has been responsible for quite a few firsts in racing.
The American tradition of the "post parade" was introduced to American racing in the 1880 Belmont. The first, and so far only, Triple Crown race to be won by a female jockey was the 1993 Belmont won by Colonial Affair with Julie Krone aboard. In 1973, Secretariat set a track and world record of 2:24 for the mile and a half with his 31-length victory, a record that still stands today. The Belmont Stakes can vary from a huge frenzy to quite laid back, depending on whether there is a Triple Crown possibility or not. If there is a horse going for the hat trick, the time leading up to the race can be total madness with media from all over the world coming to witness the possible coronation of the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. The atmosphere will be much more relaxed if there is only a Derby winner, Preakness winner, or both in the race, and becomes almost a non-event if neither of those shows up. Fan interest seems to follow along these same lines, although there is always strong participation in wagering on the event.
Source: horseracing.about.com

Sweetnorthernsaint to skip Belmont

Sweetnorthernsaint, who was the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby and runner-up in the Preakness Stakes, will skip the final leg of the Triple Crown, the June 10 Belmont Stakes, his trainer, Mike Trombetta, said Wednesday.
As a result, no horse in this year's Triple Crown will have competed in all three legs. Twenty horses ran in the Derby, but only three came back in the Preakness. Barbaro, the Derby winner, suffered career-ending injuries in the Preakness. Brother Derek, who was fourth in the Preakness after finishing in a dead heat for fourth in the Derby, has returned to California and is being freshened.
"We don't want to overdo it," Trombetta said. "Now seems like the right time to take half a step back."
Trombetta said Sweetnorthernsaint would be pointed to the Haskell Invitational or West Virginia Derby in August, with a prep in July.
Source: sports.espn.go.com

Belmont Stakes Taking Shape

Here are the expected starters for the Belmont Stakes on June 10 at Belmont Park. Jockey Ramon Dominguez rode Bluegrass Cat to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby behind Barbaro, but regular jockey John Velazquez, who broke a shoulder and cracked a rib in a spill at Keeneland on April 20, has been working the colt out in the morning for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Horse Trainer Jockey
Bluegrass Cat Todd Pletcher John Velazquez
Bob and John Bob Baffert Garrett Gomez
Deputy Glitters Tom Albertrani Edgar Prado
Hemingway's Key Nick Zito Jeremy Rose
High Finance Rick Violette Eibar Coa
Jazil Kiaran McLaughlin Fernando Jara
Oh So Awesome Jim Jerkens Mike Smith
Platinum Couple Joe Lostritto Jose Espinoza
Sacred Light David Hofmans Victor Espinoza
Steppenwolfer Dan Peitz Robby Albarado
Sunriver Todd Pletcher Rafael Bejarano
Source: www.philly.com

Bob and John in Sharp Drill for Belmont Stakes

Stonerside Stable's Bob and John, winner of the Wood Memorial (gr. I), turned in a sharp work at Santa Anita Wednesday in preparation for the June 10 Belmont Stakes (gr. I). Clockers timed the colt six furlongs in 1:12 1/5, but trainer Bob Baffert said he went seven furlongs in 1:24 3/5."The track was really dead today, so this was a very good work," Baffert said. "He was supposed to break off with a workmate, but she got the jump on him and opened up eight lengths. He caught her at the sixteenth pole and went right on by. He came home real strong and got a lot out of the work. That's now two good works in a row for him.
"The mile and a half will suit his running style, and he's bred to get the distance. The Kentucky Derby (Presented by Yum! Brands-gr. I) was a disaster. Garrett (Gomez) wasn't aggressive enough early, and they put the squeeze on him. That race was a throw-out."
Bob and John finished 17th in the Derby. The Equibase comments read: "Bumped at the start by Showing Up, then steadied soon after and bumped again when Barbaro leaned in..."
With Gomez, who will again ride the son of Seeking the Gold in the Belmont, currently in New York, Victor Espinoza was aboard for the work.
Baffert said Bob and John will ship to Belmont Park next Wednesday, and he plans on arriving the same day.
Baffert has won the Belmont with Point Given in 2001, and was narrowly beaten with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in '98, when both colts were attempting to sweep the Triple Crown.
Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com

Prado picks up mount on Deputy Glitters

Edgar Prado, who won the Kentucky Derby aboard Barbaro, has picked up the mount on Deputy Glitters for the $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 10.
Prado, who was aboard Barbaro when that horse suffered three fractures in his right hind ankle in the Preakness, has won the Belmont twice. In 2002, he ended the Triple Crown hopes of War Emblem aboard Sarava. In 2004, he denied the Triple Crown bid of Smarty Jones aboard Birdstone.
Deputy Glitters, who finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby, worked five furlongs in 1:01.84 over Belmont's main track on Monday morning. Exercise rider Simon Harris was aboard for the work.
The Belmont field picked up another runner on Monday as trainer Rick Violette said High Finance would run. High Finance, owned by West Point Thoroughbred, worked one mile in 1:38.49 Sunday at Belmont Park after vanning over from Aqueduct.
Bluegrass Cat worked five furlongs in 1:00.30 Sunday morning at Belmont.
As of Monday, there were 11 confirmed runners for the Belmont: With riders, they are: Bluegrass Cat (John Velazquez), Bob and John (Garrett Gomez), Deputy Glitters (Edgar Prado), Hemingway's Key (Jeremy Rose), High Finance (Eibar Coa), Jazil (Fernando Jara), Oh So Awesome (Mike Smith), Platinum Couple (Jose Espinoza), Sacred Light (Victor Espinoza), Steppenwolfer (Robby Albarado), and Sunriver (Rafael Bejarano).
Source: sports.espn.go.com

Belmont contenders

Horses pointing for the 138th Belmont at Belmont Park on June 10.
HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY LAST RACE
Bluegrass Cat T. Pletcher J. Velazquez 2nd, Ky. Derby
Bob and John B. Baffert G. Gomez 17th, Ky. Derby
Deputy Glitters T. Albertrani E. Prado 8th, Ky. Derby
Hemingway's Key N. Zito J. Rose 3rd, Preakness
High Finance R. Violette E. Coa 1st, Bel allowance
Jazil K. McLaughlin F. Jara 4th*, Ky. Derby
Oh So Awesome J. Jerkens M. Smith 3rd, Match the Hatch
Platinum Couple J. Lostritto J. Espinoza 6th, Preakness
Sacred Light D. Hofmans V. Espinoza 2nd, CD allowance
Steppenwolfer D. Peitz R. Albarado 3rd, Ky. Derby
Sunriver T. Pletcher R. Bejarano 1st, Peter Pan
Also Possible
Cause to Believe J. Hollendorfer R. Baze 13th, Ky. Derby
Sweetnorthernsaint M. Trombetta K. Desormeaux 2nd, Preakness
* - Dead heat
Courtesy of Daily Racing Form

Is the Triple Crown losing its luster?

Though not nearly as calamitous as Barbaro's breakdown in the Preakness, the defection of Bernardini from the Belmont Stakes was a troubling and damaging blow to horse racing that raises myriad issues about the sport, the Triple Crown and a mind-set among owners and trainers that it is better not to run than to run.
Most of the air came out of the Belmont Stakes the minute Barbaro took his first awkward step in the Preakness, vanquishing hopes of a Triple Crown winner. Then Bernardini finished the race off. Had he come back for the Belmont, the race could have at least showcased the horse who might just be Barbaro's successor as sport's most exciting 3-year-old. Though few noticed, he turned in a powerful performance in the Preakness, earning a Beyer number (113) that surpassed Barbaro's Kentucky Derby figure (111). Instead, the final leg of the Triple Crown is a meaningless event with a starless field.
Bernardini has raced just four times in his life and three times since March 4. It wasn't that long ago that conventional wisdom would have dictated that he all but had to come back in a race as prestigious as the Belmont. With such a light schedule, he would have been viewed as a horse who had yet to peak and was so fresh and rested that he would have an advantage over rivals perhaps worn down by the Triple Crown grind.
Over the last 10 years or so, conventional wisdom has been turned upside down. The Darley team maintains that Bernardini, pampered as he has been, needs some rest.
"Bernardini has had three races in quick succession and Sheikh Mohammed feels that the colt deserves a break before his next target, which will be determined in due course," Jimmy Bell, president of Darley USA, said in a statement. "Therefore, he will not contest the June 10 Belmont Stakes. Given the fact that Bernardini only broke his maiden in March and won a Grade I race in May, we feel that he climbed the ladder of competition quite quickly. Having said that, we believe he deserves a break."
That someone with a perfectly healthy, potentially dominant horse would walk away from a Triple Crown race had to happen sooner or later. Believing that the modern breed is too fragile to stand up to any kind of strenuous schedule, most trainers and owners are reluctant to race their good horses more than four or five times a year and they want at least six weeks between races. You can't coddle a horse and at the same time run them in the Triple Crown, at least not in all three races.
Even the economics no longer work in the favor of the Triple Crown, especially when the Belmont is only worth $1 million. Bernardini would have had a lousy group of Belmont opponents over a barrel and likely would have won easily, to earn Sheikh Mohammed about $600,000. That's about one-tenth what he made for winning this year's Dubai World Cup with Electrocutionist.
It's also a small fraction of what the horse is worth as a sire. As far as his value as a stallion goes, he's already well over the hump. Because he is a Grade I winner by a top sire (A.P. Indy), he could be retired tomorrow and still be worth $20 million. Why worry about a $600,000 payday that will do little, if anything, for the horse's stud value?
Unfortunately, the Bernardini decision cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident. Rather, it's no doubt a precursor of decisions to come.
No one will ever pass the Kentucky Derby. The race is too prestigious and it adds many millions to a horse's value as a sire. But the Preakness and Belmont are in trouble. Reluctant to run their horses back quickly or race them too often, more and more connections of top horses are going to pass these races. Should Sweeetnorthernsaint skip the Belmont, not a single horse will have run in all three Triple Crown legs this year. With things getting worse all the time, we might not be too far away from the point where a Kentucky Derby winner doesn't run back in the Preakness.
Racing can't afford that. The Triple Crown is the one event in the sport that still resonates with the general public and receives substantial coverage from the media. With a weakened Preakness and Belmont, the Triple Crown won't be the same. Unfortunately, there are no obvious solutions to the problem. As for Bernardini, he will likely make two or three more starts and then be retired to stud after the Breeders' Cup. What a shame.
Source: sports.espn.go.com