Belmont Stakes 2021: Hot Rod Charlie trainer O'Neill 'as proud as ever'
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Doug O’Neill was probably a lot less surprised than most to see Hot Rod Charlie on the lead from the outset of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. In the paddock prior to the race, he and jockey Flavien Prat had discussed the possibility of sending “Charlie” to the front, in part to avoid the early trouble that arguably cost him the victory five weeks earlier in the Kentucky Derby.
What did surprise, and obviously concern, O’Neill a bit were the early fractions that Hot Rod Charlie posted: 22.78 for the quarter and 46.49 for the opening four furlongs of the grueling, 1 1/2-mile Belmont.
“Flavien said he had ridden on the dirt earlier, that the track seemed really fair and if anybody was going to make an easy lead, he wanted it to be him,” O’Neill explained. “He said he was going to send him away from there and play it by ear. And even though the fractions were quick for the first half, he was trouble-free and free-running. I admit I was a little worried briefly after they posted the half-mile time, but turning for home I thought he had a huge chance, that we would get into a head bob to the wire and whoever got the best bob would win. The end result was that Charlie did all the dirty work and Essential Quality is the champion. And that’s a rough combination to beat.”
Hot Rod Charlie’s gritty second-place effort in the Belmont culminated a frustrating but otherwise fun-filled five-week run for O’Neill and his ownership group. The partnership partied and rooted their pride and joy to a troubled but game third-place finish, a length behind Medina Spirit and a head better than Essential Quality, in the Derby as a prelude to another near miss on the big stage here Saturday.
“All of us felt that in the Derby, if things had gone a little luckier during the early stages, we might have been the ones up there celebrating after the race,” O’Neill reflected. “He (Hot Rod Charlie) had some trouble, although Flavien was brilliant the way he was able to navigate through that. The thought was if we can eliminate that today, it might be a different outcome. He was training like a beast, sleeping like a champ and eating like me coming into the Belmont. He checked all the boxes. In the end, he had no excuse. But we’re all as proud of him as ever.”
Hot Rod Charlie’s ownership group got nearly as much publicity in the weeks leading up to both the Derby and Belmont as the horse himself.
“On one hand we have the experienced, wealthy, successful businessmen like Bill (Strauss) and Greg (Helm) and on the other these young kids from Boat Racing,” O’Neill said. “The kids want to wind up being like Bill and Greg. Bill and Greg, they kind of want to be 28 again like the kids. It’s a great group, who complement each other so well, with the bottom line being they are all so respectful of Charlie. They always do what’s in the best interest of Charlie, and in return Charlie has given them everything he had every time we lead him over - just like he did again today.”
And for a veteran trainer like the 53-year-old O’Neill, who has won two Derbies, five Breeders’ Cups and countless other major races during his career, having owners like that not only makes his job easier and more fun, but is what this game is all about.
“I think each and every one of these guys would do this if there was no purse money on the line,” O’Neill said. “They just love the competition, coming out in the mornings, hanging out with the horses. And if you can get lucky enough to run for a million five, that’s just an unbelievable icing on the cake.”
O’Neill will send Hot Rod Charlie back to California on Tuesday and wait to see how he comes out of the grueling effort before making any plans for the future.
“We’ll re-group, see how he’s doing, get together with all the owners and plan our strategy from there,” O’Neill said. “Like I said, these guys are so respectful to the horse, if that means running back in five or six weeks or having to wait eight or 10, that’s what we’ll do. Essential Quality came out on top this time. But there are plenty of big 3-year-old races still out there, and if both horses can stay injury free, we should have a really good rivalry going for a while.”