Asmussen to run Pneumatic in Belmont Stakes, reserve Basin for the Blue Grass

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Steve Asmussen has juggled his lineup for the Belmont Stakes, electing to run Pneumatic and the longshot Jungle Runner while pointing the Grade 1 winner Basin to the Blue Grass Stakes on July 11 at Keeneland.

“We decided to give Basin more time and I think it’s very important to keep him at two turns with our eyes still on the [Kentucky] Derby,” Asmussen said Sunday from Kentucky. “He finally ran the second turn well in the Arkansas Derby and we want to continue that trend.”

Basin won the Grade 1 Hopeful last summer at Saratoga. In three starts this year, Basin was third in the Rebel, fourth in the Oaklawn Stakes and, most recently, second to Charlatan in the Arkansas Derby.

Pneumatic, a son of Uncle Mo, won his first two starts at Oaklawn Park before finishing third to Maxfield in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 23.

:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.

“It was a big step up in company, he’s run some solid numbers, this will obviously be another step up for him but he is going to deliver all that he has on the 20th,” Asmussen said.

Pneumatic, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, was scheduled to work an easy half-mile Monday morning at Churchill Downs before shipping to New York on Tuesday on a Tex Sutton flight that will originate in California.

Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride Pneumatic.

Jungle Runner, a son of Candy Ride, was added to the Belmont field on Friday. Jungle Runner won the Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park last Nov. 1. Since then, he has been beaten double-digit lengths in four straight starts.

As of Sunday, the Belmont field, with riders, is: Tiz the Law (Manny Franco), Sole Volante (Luca Panici), Dr Post (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Farmington Road (Javier Castellano), Max Player (Joel Rosario), Tap It to Win (John Velazquez), Pneumatic (Ricardo Santana Jr.), and Jungle Runner (Reylu Gutierrez). Modernist remains possible following a strong five-furlong work in 59.28 seconds Sunday morning at Belmont.