Belmont Park: Verrazano has first workout since Kentucky Derby

ELMONT, N.Y. – Though the emphasis of Monday’s workouts at Belmont Park was on those pointing to the Belmont Stakes, trainer Todd Pletcher had two other noteworthy 3-year-olds put in drills on the day.

Verrazano, who suffered his first loss when he was 14th in the Kentucky Derby, worked four furlongs in 47.82 seconds over the Belmont training track. Verrazano, winner of the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, is pointing to the Grade 3, $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 16.

Earlier in the morning, Dreaming of Julia, who had a brutal trip when she ran fourth in the Kentucky Oaks, worked four furlongs by herself in 48.00 seconds. She is pointing to the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont on June 22.

For Verrazano, who worked in company with fellow 3-year-old Capo Bastone, it was his first move since the Derby debacle.

With John Velazquez up, Verrazano went in fractions of 12.47 seconds and 24.13, meaning he got his final quarter in 23.69 seconds. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.09 and six furlongs in 1:14.04 with Capo Bastone keeping up the whole way.

“I thought he went nice, and relaxed good,” Pletcher said of Verrazano. “It was a half with a strong gallop-out, which was what I was hoping to see.”

Capo Bastone, beaten a neck in the Derby Trial in his last start, is being pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens, a seven-furlong race on the Belmont undercard.

Dreaming of Julia, in her first work since the Kentucky Oaks, went in fractions of 12.38 seconds, 24.26 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.60 under Velazquez.

“I thought she was really good,” Pletcher said. “She does things effortlessly.”