Belmont S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Preakness Runners Plan Next Steps; Mage To Target Travers

Following his win the in GI Preakness S. Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert said that National Treasure (Quality Road) and Sir Barton S. winner Arabian Lion (Justify) would stay at Pimlico for a few more days this week and may go on to New York for races on the Belmont S. program June 10. Though he did not rule out Arabian Lion, he said National Treasure was a more likely candidate for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont S. Baffert said he did not want to send the colts back to his base at California and then ship back to New York.

“They went so slow early, he had so much horse that he couldn't pull him up at the end he told me,” Baffert said. “Arabian Lion, I'm not sure if he's up for the mile and a half, but he did run a big race yesterday. It could change. I have until tomorrow to make these calls. I could change my mind and send them back home on Tuesday. So long as they are eating well, which they are, and they came out of it well, I think I'll be keeping them here relaxed for a little bit and I don't have to ship them.”

Next up for GI Preakness S. third-place finisher Mage (Good Magic) is some time off. The colt, owned by OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH, will head to The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky.

“He was there from May of last year to October,” Restrepo said after checking on Mage at the Pimlico Stakes Barn Sunday morning. “We will get him turned out and do some training. Everything is great. The colt is fantastic, bright-eyed and his head is up. We could not be any happier with him after trying as hard as did in the Preakness. The kid is an iron horse.”

The next goal for Mage, who won the GI Kentucky Derby in his fourth start, will be the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 26.

“We will give him a little vacation and he will power up and we will figure out the best way to get to the Travers,” Restrepo said. “He has not missed a day and has been on the engine since January.”

Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) finished a head behind National Treasure in the second leg of the Triple Crown Saturday.

“We thought he ran exceptionally well,” said John Capek. “It's tough to be a little bit short on the winning side of things, but we are pleased with his progress.”

Blazing Sevens shipped back to New York early Sunday morning. Trainer Chad Brown has not said what the colt's next race will be.

“We will talk to Chad and see what is best for the horse for his next race,” said Capek.

Trainer Steve Asmussen saw enough in Red Route One's (Gun Runner) fourth-place finish that after the race he said the GI Belmont S. is the obvious target.

“You're not guaranteed to get pace in the Belmont. You win races because of pace, and you benefit from it periodically. And then other times you don't. This would have been the latter for him,” he added. “He is nearing $700,000 in earnings. He's kept very good company his whole career and was probably beaten [4 3/4] lengths in the Preakness in a race I don't think set up ideally for him. Does he beat them under different circumstances? Who knows? But I do like the opportunity to run him a mile and a half.”

While he did not contest the Preakness as the runner-up at the Kentucky Derby, Two Phil's (Hard Spun) is possible to return to Churchill Downs in June for the GIII Matt Winn S. according to trainer Larry Rivelli.

Rivelli stated Two Phil's could run in either the Matt Winn June 11 or the GIII Ohio Derby June 24 at Thistledown. Either would be used as a prep for the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth Park July 22 and the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 26.

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Forte Works At Belmont, Takes Step Closer To Belmont S.

Eclipse Award winner Forte (Violence) worked a half-mile in :50.31 breezing Sunday morning at Belmont Park, which has him back on a path to make it to the GI Belmont S. It was his first work since he was scratched the morning of the GI Kentucky Derby by a state veterinarian due to a foot bruise.

After the scratch, Forte was placed on the vet's list in Kentucky for 14 days, which meant he could not run in the GI Preakness S.

“He looked very good in this work and everything is pointing in the direction of the Belmont,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

There is one more hurdle to be cleared before he can became eligible for the race. Pletcher said that Forte will work again on Friday and will do so before a veterinarian. If the vet is satisfied with the work he will be officially cleared.

When asked if he thought Forte would pass that test, Pletcher replied: “Knock on wood, but I am super happy with him right now.”

It will be a less-than-ideal scenario for Forte coming into the Belmont. His work Sunday was his first in 22 days and he will be entering a mile-and-a-half race off a 10-week layoff. His last race was the win in the GI Florida Derby on April 1.

Pletcher doesn't think those obstacles are insurmountable.

“I think we have a chance to have him at his best,” said Pletcher, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner. “He's got a high degree of natural fitness. This morning he did everything very effortlessly and galloped out nicely and wasn't blowing at all. He pulled up and came back to the barn. And we still have time for two more good, solid works which I think would have him ready to go. It will be 10 weeks between races and it's a mile-and-a-half, but he gives me the impression, despite missing that little bit of training, that he's retained his fitness very well.”

It's been a tough few weeks for Forte and his connections, who had to watch a horse in Mage (Good Magic) that Forte beat twice go on to win the Kentucky Derby.

“It's been very frustrating and very disappointing,” Pletcher said. “Most of all I'm disappointed for the owners, the connections and especially for the horse. He seems to be the most talented colt in the group and for him to not get that chance to run was frustrating. I probably jinxed this horse when I talked about how perfectly everything was going during the winter and early spring. Thankfully, it was just a foot bruise. He's fully recovered from it now and is training the way we've grown accustomed to seeing him train.”

Pletcher said he could have as many as four horses in the Belmont. Tapit Trice (Tapit), who was seventh in the Derby, is a definite go. He said he will consult with the owners of Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), who was 14th in the Derby, before making a decision regarding his Belmont status. Prove Worthy (Curlin), a recent maiden winner at Churchill, is also under consideration.

Though Tapit Trice didn't run his best in the Derby, he could be among the favorites in the Belmont. Pletcher has a history of taking horses who didn't bring their “A” game to the Derby and, after passing the Preakness, having them ready to go for a big effort in the Belmont. It's a pattern he followed last year with Belmont winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who was fifth in the Derby.

“This path has worked well for us in the past,” Pletcher said. “He's a horse that I've always felt would suit the Belmont very well. He's by Tapit, who has had a lot of success in the Belmont. He's out of a Dunkirk mare and we finished second in the Belmont with him. He's a big, long-striding colt and I think the big, wide sweeping turns at Belmont will suit him very well. We've seen in a couple of his races, including the Tampa Bay Derby, that he doesn't run tight turns really well. The bigger oval at Belmont will really suit him.”

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Lord Miles Won’t Go in the Preakness

Lord Miles (Curlin), who was ordered scratched from the GI Kentucky Derby by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) because he is part of the Saffie Joseph, Jr. stable, will bypass the GI Preakness S. and is unlikely to run in the GI Belmont S., Joseph said Friday. A day earlier owner Peter Vegso had told the TDN that both the Preakness and Belmont were under consideration.

The decision came after Lord Miles worked four furlongs in :49.50 Friday morning at Palm Meadows.

“He had a good work but the Preakness was never really a priority,” Joseph said. “That's where we're at with him. The Belmont comes into play because it would give us more time. We will work him twice more before making any decisions, but I might want to look at other races.”

Lord Miles was set to enter the Derby off an upset win in the GII Wood Memorial at 59-1.

Though the KHRC ordered all of Joseph's horses entered Derby week to be scratched and he was banned indefinitely by Churchill Downs, Joseph said he did not anticipate having any problems running in other jurisdictions. Churchill and the KHRC made their rulings after two horses Joseph trained died of unknown causes in the lead-up to the Derby.

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NYRA Offers Ticket Package Celebrating Secretariat’s Triple Crown

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown performance in the 1973 Belmont, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a special $50 ticket package, including General Admission for the June 10 Belmont, two Day Chaser cocktails and a custom, limited-edition, Day Chaser koozie featuring the event's official logo.

The commemorative offering amounts to a nearly 25% savings on the bundled admissions and drink package.

The “Chase the Day” GA+ package includes:

Belmont Day admission with access to the trackside apron bench seating, backyard and grandstand concourse
Loaded value for two Day Chaser canned cocktails, which can be redeemed by scanning your QR code at the Day Chaser Bar on the first floor of the Belmont Park Grandstand and at various bars and concessions where Day Chaser is sold
A custom-made Day Chaser koozie featuring the official Belmont Stakes logo which commemorates Secretariat's tour de force Belmont win

In addition to its partnership with NYRA at both Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, Day Chaser is an official partner of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Hendrick Motorsports, the New York Yankees Radio Network and the New York Red Bulls.

To secure the special, commemorative $50 GA+ “Chase the Day” ticket package and for additional information about the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, visit www.BelmontStakes.com. Available in limited quantities, while supplies last. Must be 21 or over.

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