Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

National Treasure Possible For Belmont As Baffert Ponders Colt’s Immediate Future

In his Sunday morning comments after winning his record eighth Preakness Stakes (G1), Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was more somber than celebratory. A few times, Baffert made a point of saying that the catastrophic injury sustained by Havnameltdown in the Chick Lang (G3) earlier on the Saturday program changed everything for him on a historic afternoon at Pimlico Race Course.

“To me, the memory of this race would be that I lost Havnameltdown,” he said. “It was nice to win the race, but to me it was a pretty sad day.”

After a two-year absence from the Triple Crown series, Baffert, 70, returned to the Preakness with National Treasure, a well-regarded colt who had won just one of his five starts. With blinkers on the first time this season, National Treasure broke sharply. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez promptly put him on the lead and from there was able to dictate a slow pace. When Blazing Sevens, trained by two-time Preakness winner Chad Brown, put in a determined challenge in the stretch, National Treasure responded and won by a head.

The win enabled Baffert to move ahead of 19th century trainer R. Wyndham Walden for the most victories in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. It was Baffert's record-extending 17th win in the Triple Crown series.

Baffert said that National Treasure and Sir Barton Stakes winner Arabian Lion would stay at Pimlico for a few more days this week and may go on to New York for races on the Belmont Stakes program on June 10. Though he did not rule out Arabian Lion, he said National Treasure was a more likely candidate for the 1½-mile Belmont Stakes. Baffert said he did not want to send the colts back to his base at California and then ship back to New York.

The Preakness was National Treasure's third race of 2023 and Baffert said it was not demanding.

“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.”

Baffert said that National Treasure has recovered from a quarter crack that might have impacted his training before the Santa Anita Derby (G1). He said the slow-developing colt looks to have matured since that race.

“His last two works were pretty amazing. Really amazing,” he said. “You could tell that the lights were going on. Johnny could tell the difference in him immediately. He could tell that he was figuring it out. Because he's lightly raced, he kept waiting for horses to come at him. He did that the right way because he had always been green and intimidated.”

National Treasure wore blinkers in two of his three starts as a 2-year-old and Baffert decided to put them back on for the Preakness.

“Every trip he's had, he's always been stopping and going,” Baffert said. “With the blinkers he just blew out of the gate and put himself in the race right away. He hadn't broke that way since he broke his maiden. I think the blinkers really helped him and he came out running.”

In the stretch, National Treasure showed the grit that had been missing in previous races.

“When that horse came to him, he gutted it out,” Baffert said.

Havnameltdown was euthanized after suffering the severe fetlock injury in the Chick Lang. The colt had been a strong performer for Baffert and the Pimlico race was being used as a steppingstone to a Grade 1 race on the Belmont Stakes program. Baffert was subdued when he met with the media Sunday morning. Despite the record-breaking win on the big stage of the Preakness he said it did not feel anything like the first seven victories.

“I'm still upset about losing that horse yesterday,” he said. “My memory of this race is going to be about him. It just took all the fun out of it.”

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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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Angel Of Empire Drills At Churchill Toward Possible Belmont Start

A trio of trainer Brad Cox's Kentucky Derby (G1) runners, including Angel of Empire, who finished third as the post-time favorite at 4-1 odds, recorded their first breezes Sunday morning at Churchill Downs since running in the Louisville classic on the first Saturday in May.

At 5:30 a.m. (ET), Angel of Empire recorded an easy half-mile move in :49. The colt, owned by Albaugh Family Stables, is possible to run in the $1.5-million Belmont Stakes (GI) on June 10.

A Pennsylvania-bred Classic Empire colt, Angel of Empire was tenth at the quarter pole in the Derby but unleashed a ground-devouring rally to gain the show spot, a half-length behind Two Phil's.

“Angel of Empire just kept coming and coming, so big effort on his part,” Cox said after of the Derby.

The colt entered the race off back-to-back wins in the Arkansas Derby (G1) April 1 at Oaklawn and Risen Star (G2) Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds.

Shortly after his move, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith, and Michael B. Tabor's Verifying, who finished a disappointing 16th in the Derby, worked a half-mile in :49.60.

At 7:45 a.m., Gary and Mary West's Hit Show, who finished fifth in the Derby, breezed a half-mile in :49.40.

Hit Show and Verifying's next starts have yet to be determined.

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Explanations And Excuses: 2023 Preakness Stakes Connections React In The Race’s Aftermath

Following is a collection of quotes from riders and trainers of each of the six non-winning entries in Saturday's Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, won by National Treasure.

Trainer Chad Brown (Blazing Sevens, 2nd): “I did not want to be in the middle of the racetrack the whole way, but I don't think Irad (Ortiz Jr.) had much choice. The horse just got a very, very wide trip and he came up just short. I think the amount of ground lost probably cost him. I was a little worried because he was so wide the whole way. I thought maybe it might take the starch out of him a little bit, and it did. He had the outside post and I think Irad made the best decisions that he could. I don't see what he could have done differently.

“The winner showed a lot of heart to battle back so you have to give him credit. The pace was slow. I knew the race was void of speed, but I thought he would have a little bit more pressure. He was coming into the race as good as possible, and I am very proud of his effort. The horse really showed up today. We have won this race a couple of times and we have had really good trips. Today we did not have quite the trip we wanted. It goes both ways. That's horse racing.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Blazing Sevens, 2nd): “He ran great. He tried so hard. He fought all the way to the wire. The key was John slowed the pace down the backside. Just could not get by him at the end.”

Gustavo Delgado Jr, assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado (Mage, 3^rd): “The pace was hard to … Don't take anything from the winner. They beat us. That's it. He ran a good race to be third. If you take him farther back (off a slow pace), the closer, maybe he doesn't respond. No speed in the race…. The horses in front were going easy. Those horses, you don't beat them (with that pace). They always fight. They fight when they go fast; imagine when they go so slow. They rebreak.

“We took the shot; it was worth the shot, and we got beat.

“He's lightly raced; we'll see how he comes back. We'll regroup, take our time and see what's next to him. Nobody is going to take the Derby from him.”

Jockey Javier Castellano (Mage, 3rd): “The pace. There was not much speed in the race. The way it developed, the way it unfolded, it was a disadvantage for the horses coming from behind. I liked my trip, I had a beautiful trip. I liked where I was. I didn't want to be too far back because I knew there would not be a lot of speed in the race. Unfortunately, they went slow, and I could not catch those horses. He broke so well out of the gate; this was the best break he has had in a long, long time. He put himself in good position and followed every step along the way. I don't think there was any excuse. We had a beautiful dream trip. We stalked behind those two horses, saved all the ground on the first turn, and when I asked him from the quarter pole, I could not catch those horses. And my horse responded very well. Those other two horses opened up and the race was over. Absolutely, I expected to win today. I was not disappointed in my horse. Mage is a really good horse.”

Trainer Steve Asmussen (Red Route One, 4th): “No pace first time by. Joel did all he could. He obviously recognized they were crawling and put him in the race as best he could. But he just was steady to the wire. He looks like he's cooling out well and will most likely go on to the Belmont from here. It appears he stays all day.”

(Thoughts about the winner) “They went by the first time; they were so within themselves it wasn't ideal for us.”

Jockey Joel Rosario (Red Route One, 4th): “John Velazquez did a great job slowing down the pace. My horse ran good. He came running at the end, but it was just too slow a pace for us to catch the front-runners.”

Trainer Ed Moger Jr. (Chase the Chaos, 5th): “He tried really hard. I thought they were going pretty slow up front. We were last, so it didn't set up very good for him. The rider (Sheldon Russell) liked him and said he tried all the way around there. There was no pace to run at.”

Jockey Sheldon Russell (Chase the Chaos, 5th): “He gave me a great ride. Obviously, there was no pace in the race. He relaxed nicely after the first turn. I was traveling well at the half-mile pole. All he needed was some pace. Once they kicked away it was over.”

Trainer Shug McGaughey (Perform, 6th): “I'm disappointed in the way he ran. The pace wasn't that good. He was in a good position down the backside, he just wasn't able to finish.”

Jockey Feargal Lynch (Perform, 6th): “We had a good trip. We went slowly, and then it turned into a sprint. We followed Mage, which is exactly what I wanted to do. Johnny V. is an MVP for a reason.”

Trainer John Salzman Jr. (Coffeewithchris, 7th): “The track seemed a little deeper to me than I was expecting. Jaime said he was fine. He was going down the backstretch and he was right where he wanted him to be. At the three-eighths pole he just sort of folded up on him. He didn't give him his kick. It looks like he came back good. I have no excuse. We'll just have to lighten the load and find a better spot for him.”

Jockey Jaime Rodriguez (Coffeewithchris, 7th): “He broke good. We wanted to stalk the leader. On the backside we moved outside to keep my position. Once we got to the three-eighths pole, we couldn't keep up. John Velazquez stole the race down the backside when he slowed down the pace.”

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