SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Commandment seems to be the forgotten horse of this year’s Triple Crown heading into Saturday’s $2 million Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. Despite being a multiple graded stakes winner and one of just three Grade 1 winners in the field, there doesn’t seem to be much buzz surrounding Commandment, who finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Golden Tempo. But the Belmont has been a route to redemption for many horses who failed in the Kentucky Derby, bypassed the Preakness, and won the third jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. That includes Essential Quality, who in 2021 crossed the wire fourth in the Derby (elevated to third with the disqualification of Medina Spirit) and then won the Belmont five weeks later. Brad Cox, the trainer of Commandment, trained Essential Quality. “I think a lot of it is what you did in your last race,” Cox said last week during a national conference call. “Obviously, that was not the performance we were looking for in the Derby but I thought it was a good run and I think he’s a little bit forgotten. I think if you do zero in on him and watch his race in the Derby, I think he actually ran pretty well.” :: DRF Belmont Stakes Packages: Save big on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Breaking from post 5 in the Derby, Commandment was 14th of 18 coming under the wire the first time. Jockey Luis Saez moved him up a little bit early down the backside and he was wide outside of Potente and Chief Wallabee going into the far turn. Commandment made a move before the three-eighths pole and was five wide turning for home. He got bumped by Ocelli and was pushed into Further Ado above the eighth pole and just ran evenly from there. “I think we would have been fine if we would have just settled a little bit more as opposed to asking for the position he got going into the first turn,” Cox said. “It’s always easier to look back and second-guess things. I think he broke fine in the Derby, but I would expect him to be a little more forward in the Belmont based on who’s signing up to run and there maybe not being quite as much pace in the Belmont as the Derby.” There will be only nine horses in the Belmont Stakes, half the number that ran in the Kentucky Derby. Commandment came into the Derby having earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures winning the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby, races he won by a neck and a nose, respectively. Cox dismissed the notion that he might have reacted from having those two hard races at Gulfstream Park, which followed a dominant victory in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes. “I’m not going to go with he ran a flat race because of the two big runs in Florida,” Cox said. “He may have just run a flat race because he was not where he maybe needed to be. . . . The dynamics didn’t set up for him that day. I felt like he was ready to run, I thought he ran well, maybe not his ‘A’ race and not the greatest setup for him.” Commandment will have the fourth rider on his back in his last four races. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode him to victories in the Mucho Macho Man and Fountain of Youth but had committed to ride Renegade in the Arkansas Derby, which was the same day as the Florida Derby. :: Get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts. Available each race day at Saratoga. Flavien Prat rode Commandment to victory in the Florida Derby but was committed to ride Emerging Market in the Kentucky Derby. Following the Kentucky Derby, the decision was made to replace Saez, a two-time Belmont winner, with John Velazquez, the Hall of Fame rider who has won the Belmont twice from 28 mounts. “He has a tremendous amount of respect around the world, especially on the NYRA circuit. He knows Saratoga as well as anyone, we felt like he would be a good fit,” Cox said. Velazquez certainly has an impeccable reputation. Cox, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, does as well. Perhaps Saturday, Commandment will regain his reputation as one of the division’s best. :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Betting Strategies by Mike Beer and David Aragona feature exclusive wager recommendations!