From the gate in the 1 3/8-mile Red Smith, Channel Cat took a one-length lead over the field of ten, setting early fractions of :24.96, :50.02, and 1:15.59, a moderate pace that left John Velazquez with plenty of horse for the stretch run. Serve the King hung back in fifth, nestled on the rail behind No Word and Price Talk. Around the far turn, No Word pulled within striking distance of Channel Cat, while Irad Ortiz Jr. moved Serve the King off the rail and to the outside of horses, six-wide into the stretch.

Down the Aqueduct straight, Channel Cat was able to shake off the challenge for No Word and increase his lead, but Ortiz had Serve the King set down for a drive, taking over the lead in the last strides to win by a neck over Channel Cat and a surging Soldier Rising. No Word was fourth and Shamrocket fifth. Corelli, Sanctuary City, Value Engineering, Price Talk, and Tide of the Sea rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 3/8 miles was 2:16.60. Find this race's chart here.

Serve the King paid $6.10, $3.80, and $2.60. Channel Cat paid $6.00 and $4.20. Soldier Rising paid $3.30.

“At a certain point of the race, he [Irad Ortiz, Jr.] said he just wanted to get him clear because he was losing the bit a little bit while inside. Once he got him to the clear, he picked up the bit again,
trainer Chad Brown said after the race. “A lot of credit goes to my Monmouth crew, who really did a good job helping this horse. As a younger horse, he was a little bit quirky and wouldn't want to train all the time and for whatever reason down there he has a comfortable situation and would train on. That's why he spent a lot of his time down there.”

“I had a really good trip. He broke sharp and was forwardly placed. He put me in a good position, so I saved all the ground for the whole race. At the half-mile, I started moving and he responded really well. I was able to tip him out and when he hit the clear, he was running,” Irad Ortiz Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the Red Smith. “He was off the bit sometimes, but that's him. He's not a horse that's going to pull you all the way. That's not him. Sometimes, you have to wake him up and let him know he's running. He's there for you, that's the good thing.”

Bred in England by Normandie Stud, Serve the King is by Kingman (GB) out of the Galileo (IRE) mare Fallen In Love (GB). The 5-year-old horse is owned by Peter Brant. Consigned by Norris Bloodstock, the son of Kingman was purchased by White Birch Stable for $361,616 at the 2017 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. With his win in the G2 Red Smith, Serve the King has two wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in 11 starts and career earnings of $406,180.

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Wertheimer and Frere's homebred No Word, a 4-year-old Silent Name colt, competed in both legs of last year's Turf Triple series, finishing third in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby Invitational and second in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby.

No Word made both of his two starts this year at Saratoga Race Course, including a wide-traveling eighth in an optional-claimer in August ahead of a game second last out in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap, contested over yielding ground on September 6.

“First start back he had a bad trip and was hung out wide the whole way,” Pletcher said. “I thought he ran much better next time, but unfortunately didn't have much of a pace to run at. He ran well in spite of that.”

Out of the A.P. Indy mare Listen A.P., No Word is a full brother to multiple graded-stakes winner Silentio.

“He's a horse we always thought had graded stake ability, so we're giving it another try,” Pletcher said.

Waterford Stable's homebred En Wye Cee, a 5-year-old son of Declaration of War, finished a prominent third in last year's Knickerbocker to close out his 2020 campaign.

The lightly-raced bay, who sports a ledger of 8-3-0-4, made his seasonal debut with a third-place finish to Knickerbocker-rival L'Imperator in a nine-furlong optional-claiming tilt on August 4 over firm footing at the Spa. He was scheduled to run in the Bernard Baruch but was scratched following an afternoon rainstorm softened the sod.

“He's a consistent horse. He got a little unlucky and had to scratch with the soft turf the other day, so hopefully the ground remains firm and he gets a chance to do his thing,” Pletcher said.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will pilot En Wye Cee from post 8, while Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will guide No Word from post 9.

Phipps Stable's homebred Breaking the Rules finished fourth as the mutuel favorite in last year's Knickerbocker.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, who won back-to-back editions of the Knickerbocker with Boisterous in 2012-13, the now 6-year-old Breaking the Rules will look to make the grade while making his third start of the campaign.

Following an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park, the multiple graded-stakes placed son of War Front returned off a seven-month layoff to best Knickerbocker-rival Sacred Life in a one-mile optional-claimer contested over firm footing at the Spa.

Joel Rosario has the call from post 2.

Flying P Stable's Temple, a 5-year-old Temple City gelding, will look to go from claim-to-fame for trainer Tom Morley.

The dark bay was haltered for $80,000 out of a fifth-place finish in June at Belmont and after an off-the-board effort in the restricted Lure in August at Saratoga, Temple posted a solid one-length score in a 10-furlong optional-claiming event which garnered a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

Kendrick Carmouche picks up the mount from post 5.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Robert V. LaPenta's L'Imperator and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso's Sacred Life.

A 4-year-old French-bred son of Holy Roman Emperor, L'Imperator launched his career in France winning two of four starts. He joined Brown last year and finished seventh in the Grade 3 Saranac last August in his lone sophomore start.

L'Imperator opened his campaign with a 1 3/4-length score in a nine-furlong optional-claiming tilt on August 4 at the Spa and finished an even third last out in the Bernard Baruch.

Sacred Life, a 6-year-old French-bred Siyouni ridgling, will look for his first win of the campaign while stepping up in distance from a pair of competitive efforts at one mile at the Spa, finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple in July and a closing second last out in an optional-claiming event on August 29.

Manny Franco will guide L'Imperator from post 4, while Sacred Life will emerge from post 3 under Jose Ortiz.

Rounding out the field are Corelli [post 6, Junior Alvarado], winner of the Grade 3 Singspiel in August at Woodbine; multiple graded stakes winner Field Pass [post 1, Dylan Davis]; and graded-stakes placed Epic Bromance [post 7, Jose Lezcano].

The Knickerbocker is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's 9-race which also features the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at nine furlongs for fillies and mares; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity, a six-furlong turf test for 2-year-olds offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Gufo raced past No Word and Mo Ready in deep stretch under Junior Alvarado, winning by one length, then had to wait out a stewards inquiry for possible interference at the top of the stretch when drifting out in front of Moon Over Miami.

The 7-5 favorite in the field eight 3-year-olds, Gufo paid $4.90 to win after covering 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 2:02.25.

No Word held second, with Mo Ready third and Ajourneytofreedom fourth.

Mo Ready worked his way to the front as the fielded rounded the clubhouse turn, getting the opening quarter mile in :24.48 with pressure from the outside by Moon Over Miami.

Those two raced 1-2 down the backstretch, with fractional times of :50.61 for the half mile and 1:15.56 for six furlongs, and were joined by No Word approaching the far turn. Gofu, meanwhile, was saving ground while in the second flight approaching the turn, swung off the rail and took aim at the leaders with two furlongs to go, the mile in 1:39.26.

Mo Ready proved stubborn on the lead, aided by soft fractions, and was finally overtaken by No Word. But Gufo had all the momentum and grabbed the lead inside the final sixteenth of a mile.

“I had to do my homework,” said Alvarado, riding Gufo for the first time. “He's not a hard horse to ride, but it can be a little tricky with him to make sure he doesn't fall too far back or it takes him too long to get home. I kept him between horses; he was paying attention to everything and he was focused. When I turned for home, I knew I had a lot of horse under me.

“I definitely thought it was close. The way he was travelling there, I knew I had plenty of horse to still finish. He was in a nice, nice rhythm the whole way around so I was pretty happy. [Christophe] said, 'You have to ride him turning for home, it takes him a little bit to give you a nice kick'.”

The victory was the fifth in seven starts for Gufo, who had a four-race win streak broken when second to Domestic Spending in the Saratoga Derby Invitational in his last start on Aug. 15.

“He won well,” said Clement. “I thought he had a great trip from Junior [Alvarado] and when he asked him to quicken, he really quickened well in the stretch. He's a good horse. If you look at all his races this year, he's been running well all year round. I know he got beat last time but he actually ran a winning race when you look back at it.”

Clement wouldn't commit to a start in the Breeders' Cup.

“I'm not sure,” the trainer said. “We'll have to check with the owner and see how he comes out of it. There's also the Hollywood Derby [G1 on Nov. 28 at Del Mar] going a mile and an eighth.”

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Narrowly victorious at the Spa was Klaravich Stables’ Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), given slight morning-line favoritism here at 5-2. Bought for 300,000 guineas at Tattersalls October in 2018, the gelding graduated on debut at even-money Feb. 12 at Tampa and repeated with a fast finish in a mile allowance here June 7. Left with too much to do when third in the GII Hall of Fame S. July 18 at the Spa, he showed tactical speed for the first time in the Saratoga Derby and ground out a head victory.

Just missing was runner-up Gufo (Declaration of War). Graduating at second asking Dec. 29 at Gulfstream, the chestnut scored last-to-first victories in an optional claimer and the English Channel S. there Mar. 27 and May 2, respectively before making it three in a row with a half-length success in the GIII Kent S. July 4 at Delaware.

Wertheimer et Frere’s No Word (Silent Name {Jpn}) was a debut winner last summer at Saratoga and finished fifth as the favorite in the GIII Pilgrim S. in his juvenile finale. Third in a pair of tries this summer, the dark bay narrowly annexed a local optional claiming July 9 before running third at 18-1 in the Saratoga Derby.

Two last-out stakes winners add to the fray. Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon), who was briefly on the GI Kentucky Derby trail earlier this year, scored a Churchill allowance victory on grass June 20 before running fourth at 14-1 in the Hall of Fame and drawing in off the also-eligible list to take the Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs. Godolphin’s Pixelate (City Zip), second or third in five straight stakes tries as a 3-year-old–including a runner-up finish to Gufo in the Kent–surged late to get up by a head in the GII Del Mar Derby Sept. 6.

Rounding out the major contenders is Venezuelan Hug (Constitution). Claimed from Orlyana Farm and Alexis Delgado when running third in a $40,000 maiden claimer Mar. 25 at Gulfstream, the gray dominated Florida-bred maiden special weight rivals next out Apr. 25 and repeated in a starter optional claimer May 30. Not quite ready for prime time when last of six in the GII Pennine Ridge S. here June 20, he bounced back with a sharp allowance success Aug. 9 at Saratoga and shows a pair of bullet half-mile works over Saratoga’s Oklahoma turf for Danny Gargan in this return to stakes company.

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The 71st running of the Belmont Derby is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf on November 7 at Keeneland. It also is the headliner on a stacked card that features five graded stakes, including the Grade 1, $250,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 ½ miles on the Widener turf; the Grade 2, $150,000 Gallant Bloom for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up sprinting 6 ½ furlongs on the main track; the Grade 2, $150,000 Kelso for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on Big Sandy and the Grade 2, $150,000 Pilgrim for juveniles contesting at 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo ran second by a head to Domestic Spending in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby and will look to turn the tables in a rematch for trainer Christophe Clement. The Declaration of War colt has won four of his six career starts, with his third-place debut effort in November at Aqueduct marking his only other non-winning effort.

Gufo breezed four furlongs in 50.25 seconds on Belmont's inner turf Sunday with jockey Junior Alvarado aboard. Alvarado will have the call Saturday from post 2.

“Gufo went Sunday for his last work for the race and we're very happy with him,” Clement said. “He's been training very forwardly since the race at Saratoga. I had two choices; to run him here or go to Kentucky Downs. We trained for here because we think he's an ideal horse to run at Belmont with the wider turns and the mile and a quarter will be really good for him.”

Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending was unraced as a juvenile but started his career with consecutive wins, breaking his maiden in February at Tampa Bay Downs at one mile before edging Don Juan Kitten by a neck in an allowance tilt in his first Belmont appearance on June 7.

The Chad Brown trainee stepped up to stakes company, running third behind the Clement-trained winner Decorated Invader in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame at 1 1/8 miles on July 18 at Saratoga. A month later, the English-bred son of Kingman earned his first stakes win and a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in the Saratoga Derby.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will be in the irons from post 4.

Wertheimer and Frere's No Word comprised the trifecta last out, just a half-length back to Gufo in the Saratoga Derby in his best stakes result. Trained by Todd Pletcher, No Word started his 3-year-old campaign with back-to-back third-place efforts before besting the field in an $80,000 optional claimer on July 9 at Belmont. Making his first stakes start as a sophomore, and first overall since running fifth in the Grade 3 Pilgrim in September 2019, No Word tallied a 92 Beyer for his stellar return to the Spa.

Jose Ortiz will ride from post 1.

Pletcher will also send out Repole Stable's Mo Ready, a last-out allowance winner on August 15 at Saratoga. Making his graded stakes bow, the son of Uncle Mo will be running at Belmont for the first time since his fourth-place debut effort in May 2019. Kenrick Carmouche will be aboard and break from post 3.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle a pair of contenders who previously were on the Triple Crown trail in South Bend and Moon Over Miami.

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch and Pantofel Stable's South Bend will be switching back to turf after running off the board in two prestigious Grade 1 dirt tests, running fourth in the Runhappy Travers on August 8 at Saratoga before finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby on September 5 following a wide trip and tiring late.

But South Bend showed talent earlier in the campaign, running second in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby in June at Thistledown under previous trainer Stanley Hough. Before that, the Algorithms colt ran five consecutive times on the grass earlier in 2020, posting a runner-up effort in the Cutler Bay in March at Gulfstream Park and third-place efforts in the Dania Beach and the Grade 3 Palm Beach going a mile and 1 1/16 miles, respectively, on the Gulfstream turf.

“I don't know that he's any better on grass. The race he was in last time was just a really tough race,” Mott said. “He ran well in the Travers. He picked up a check and ran a pretty good race. I think he's fine on dirt, it's just the level of competition.”

Jockey Dylan Davis will pick up the mount for the first time, drawing post 5.

Summer Wind Equine's Moon Over Miami won his first stakes last out with a half-length score in the Dueling Grounds Derby on September 10. Stretched out to 1 5/16 miles, the son of Malibu Moon tracked in 10th-of-12 position before a late surge edged him clear of Big Dreaming, earning a personal-best 91 Beyer.
Moon Over Miami ran in a Kentucky Derby prep race in his final dirt start on February 15, finishing eighth in a division of the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds. Mott moved him to turf next out, where he ran eighth in the Cutler Bay.

After earning his first win on grass in a 1 1/8-mile allowance tilt on June 20 at Churchill – the first of three straight races he's worn blinkers – Moon Over Miami ran fourth in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame in July at Saratoga before his stakes win earlier this month. He will now return to Belmont for the first time since his fourth-place debut effort on Big Sandy in October 2019.

“He'll be fit. The race comes back a little quick for him,” Mott said. “The timing isn't ideal coming back from three and a half weeks. Generally, off a race like that, you would want a little more time, but this is one of the last straight 3-year-old races so we're going to give it a shot.

“It seems like the blinkers have helped,” he added. “He just seemed to be getting a little distracted.”

Eric Cancel will ride from post 8.

Godolphin's ultra-consistent Pixelate has never finished off the board in 11 starts [3-5-3] and has handled a step up in company, finishing second behind Gufo in the Grade 3 Kent before notching his first graded stakes score by outlasting Margot's Boy by a head in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby going 1 1/8 miles on September 6.

Trained by Michael Stidham, Pixelate, a son of City Zip, ran second in his only previous Belmont start, finishing a neck behind Buy Land and See in the Awad last October.

“We've been really happy with his training,” Stidham said. “He's raced at many different tracks with different riders and seems to always go out there and try hard, so we're excited to run him in a Grade 1. He's just an honest horse who goes out there and gives a big effort every single time.”

Jose Lezcano, the Belmont fall meet's current leading rider, has the call from post 6.

Rounding out the field is Venezuelan Hug, who ran sixth in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge in June at Belmont before coming back to best allowance company on August 9 at Saraoga, for trainer Danny Gargan [post 7, Manny Franco]; and Ajourneytofreedom, who will make his first start for trainer Mike Maker after running second in an $80,000 optional claiming turf contest on August 31 at Del Mar [post 9, Benjamin Hernandez].

The Belmont Derby is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 12:40 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Happy Saver, by Super Saver, graduated on June 20 at Belmont and followed with a nine-furlong allowance score on July 26 at Saratoga ahead of a driving 1 1/2-length score last out in the nine-furlong Federico Tesio on September 7 at Pimlico.

He worked a bullet five eighths in 1:01.09 Friday on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. Pletcher said extra time between races will benefit the lightly raced Happy Saver.

“I was happy with his work yesterday and I just decided I like the extra week and it looks to be a shorter field here,” said Pletcher. “He's done everything we've asked of him so far. It's pretty hard to win your first three races at three different tracks and stretch out to win a stakes at a mile and an eighth. He's been very impressive and we're happy with his development.”

Last year, the Pletcher-trained Vino Rosso crossed the wire first in the Jockey Club Gold Cup but was demoted to second after a rugged stretch run with Code of Honor, who was elevated to victory. Vino Rosso exited that effort to win the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

A win by Happy Saver would provide Pletcher with his first Jockey Club Gold Cup score.

“The Jockey Club has been a frustrating race for us. We've had some tough losses and last year's was especially tough but it was a great stepping stone to a great win in the Classic, so it would be fun to win it,” said Pletcher.

Pletcher said he preferred not to look too far into the future for Happy Saver with regard to a potential start in the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 7 at Keeneland.

“One race at a time,” said Pletcher.

Pletcher said St Elias Stable's multiple graded-stakes placed Dr Post, who finished fourth last out in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on September 5 at the Spa, is enjoying some downtime at WinStar Farm in Kentucky.

“We sent him to Kentucky to give him a little bit of a freshening. He'll get some turn out time at WinStar and join us back in Florida in December,” said Pletcher.

The Quality Road colt graduated at second asking in March at Gulfstream Park ahead of a score in the 1 1/16-mile Unbridled at the Hallandale Beach oval. After completing the exacta in the Belmont Stakes, Dr Post was a distant third in the Grade 1 Haskell won by eventual Grade 1 Kentucky Derby champ Authentic.

Pletcher will be well represented in the Grade 1, $250,000 Belmont Derby Invitational, a 10-furlong turf test for sophomores offering a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, in which he will saddle Farmington Road and No Word with Mo Ready also under consideration for the October 3 tilt.

“We're looking at the Belmont Derby for all three. It's a good opportunity for 3-year-olds on the turf,” said Pletcher.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Chrysalis Stables and Robert LaPenta, Farmington Road rallied from last-of-five to capture a Colonial Downs allowance route last out on July 29 in his turf debut.

Wertheimer and Frere's No Word, a dark bay son of Silent Name, boasts a record of two wins and three thirds from six career starts all on turf. The dark bay closed to finish third last out in the Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 15 at the Spa, defeated a half-length to victorious Domestic Spending.

Repole Stable's Mo Ready, a New York homebred son of Uncle Mo, boasts a record of 7-2-1-1 and captured a one-mile state-bred turf allowance last out on August 15 at Saratoga.

Harrell Ventures' Halladay made the grade with a sparkling performance last out in the Grade 1 Fourstardave on August 22 at Saratoga that garnered a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

The 4-year-old War Front colt breezed a half-mile in 48.75 Friday on the Oklahoma dirt training track in preparation for the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on October 3 at Keeneland.

“The breeze went well. He's doing great and will ship out on Monday for the Shadwell Mile,” said Pletcher. “He ran so well in the Fourstardave we wanted to give the race there at Keeneland a try and give him a race over the course. Hopefully, it will be a good stepping stone to the Breeders' Cup Mile.

The ultra-consistent grey boasts a record of 14-6-2-4 with purse earnings of $517,485.

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