Belmont Stakes 2021: Essential Quality arrives and is made the 2-1 morning-line favorite

ELMONT, N.Y. - Essential Quality arrived at Belmont Park just before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning and about six hours later he drew post 2 and was installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.

Essential Quality was one of just eight horses entered in the Belmont following the defection of his Godolphin Racing stablemate Rebel’s Romance, who was diagnosed with a hind leg infection and was kept out of the race, according to his trainer Charlie Appleby.

Essential Quality, last year’s 2-year-old champion, suffered his first career defeat when running fourth, beaten one length, in the Kentucky Derby five weeks ago.

The decision by his connections to skip the Preakness and point for the Belmont was made shortly after the Derby. Essential Quality is one of five horses entered in the Belmont who is following that same schedule.

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Brad Cox, who trains Essential Quality, said he felt it best for the development of the horse and his future, that the horse not be wheeled back in two weeks in the Preakness. He’s liked what he’s seen from the horse in his subsequent training.

“After I watched him for four or five days, I was super impressed with how he looked physically,” Cox said Tuesday morning at Belmont. “He was tired, he had just run a mile and a quarter, but he really came around fast and looked like he started to blossom. I definitely think he’s moved forward from the Kentucky Derby, I really, really do.”

Rombauer, the Preakness winner, drew post 3 and was installed as the 3-1 second-choice by New York Racing Association line-maker David Aragona. Rombauer skipped the Kentucky Derby after finishing third in the Blue Grass Stakes.

Rombauer shipped to New York on May 17 and has trained well here. He looked particularly sharp Tuesday morning galloping over the Belmont training track.

John Velazquez rides Rombauer because Flavien Prat, who rode Rombauer in the Preakness, is riding Hot Rod Charlie in the Belmont. Prat rode Hot Rod Charlie to a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and his agent, Brad Pegram, gave trainer Doug O’Neill a commitment two days later to ride him in the Belmont.

Hot Rod Charlie drew post 4 and was made the 7-2 third choice. While O’Neill would have rather drawn outside of expected pacesetter Rock Your World - who drew post 7 - the fact he has Prat overshadows that for him.

“We’d rather be in the one-hole with Prat then outside of Rock Your World with just about any other rider,” O’Neill said. “His confidence in Charlie, the connection they have together, and just the way he’s riding is out of this world.”

Known Agenda heads a three-ply, uncoupled entry from the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, a three-time Belmont Stakes winner. Known Agenda finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby after losing position when a horse shut him off about a furlong into the Derby.

Known Agenda is in post 6 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

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Pletcher also runs Bourbonic, the Wood Memorial winner who ran 13th in the Kentucky Derby, and Overtook, third in the Peter Pan, in the Belmont.

France Go de Ina, seventh in the UAE Derby and seventh in the Preakness Stakes, rounds out the field.

As a horse who has made three starts in Japan, France Go de Ina is eligible for a $1 million bonus offered by the New York Racing Association should he win the Belmont.

The Belmont Stakes will go as race 11 on a 13-race card that begins at 11:35 am. The Belmont is scheduled to go to post at 6:49 p.m.

Though there is a chance of rain Thursday and a lesser-so chance on Friday, the forecast for Saturday calls for mostly sunny skies and a high around 80 degrees.