Belmont Stakes 2021: McCarthy happy with what he sees with Rombauer

ELMONT, N.Y. – Rombauer was a sight for Michael McCarthy’s bleary eyes Monday morning as the trainer, after taking a red-eye flight from Southern California to New York, watched the colt train for the first time since his Preakness victory on May 15.

Rombauer, who arrived at Belmont Park on May 17, had an easy 1 3/8-mile gallop over the main track on Monday as he prepares for a start in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 5. It was Rombauer’s first day on the main track after jogging and galloping last week over the training track.

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McCarthy said he was “very happy” with what he saw Monday.

“It looks like he’s maintaining his weight, eating very good, his attitude’s great, and as you saw out there he’s moving well,” McCarthy said. “Everything you’re wanting to see he’s showing you.”

While Rombauer shipped to New York 36 hours after the Preakness, McCarthy returned to Southern California where he has 48 horses stabled at Santa Anita. In addition to overseeing those horses, McCarthy got to relive the Preakness victory with his wife, Erin, and daughter Stella, who were not in Baltimore for the Preakness. They are expected to be in New York for the Belmont.

McCarthy also said he was trying to return the hundreds of congratulatory messages he has received while doing more interviews than he is accustomed to.

“It’s certainly been a nice problem to have, a little overwhelming,” McCarthy said. “Trying to reach out to everybody who was kind enough to reach out to me.”

While the spotlight may be out of McCarthy’s comfort zone, Belmont Park is not. McCarthy spent many years here as an assistant to Todd Pletcher before going out on his own and returning to his native Southern California in 2014.

Rombauer is stabled in Barn 45 with trainer Jonathan Thomas, with whom he worked when both were with Pletcher. McCarthy was part of the team who worked with Pletcher’s Belmont Stakes winners Rags to Riches and Palace Malice.

“I have a lot of very good memories here, made a lot of good relationships that I still have to this day with people that are here,” McCarthy said. “It’s somewhere I’m comfortable with. Nothing’s really foreign to me here. I know the nuances of Belmont Park, the main track and what it’s like. It’s more or less getting reacquainted.

“It’s always nice to be here. If we’re here, we’ve done something right.”

Since going out on his own, McCarthy has run three horses at Belmont Park – The Lieutenant (2nd in Suburban) and Paved (eighth in Belmont Oaks) in 2018 and Ce Ce (fourth in Acorn) in 2019.

McCarthy found himself in a bit of an odd spot having to make a jockey change for the Belmont despite his horse winning the Preakness. Flavien Prat, who rode Rombauer in the Preakness, had given the connections of Hot Rod Charlie a commitment to ride him in the Belmont. Prat rode Hot Rod Charlie to a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Given the choice of many good jockeys, McCarthy and owners John and Diane Fradkin selected John Velazquez, a two-time Belmont Stakes winner, who had ridden Medina Spirit to a first-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and a third in the Preakness.

“Ultimately, the momentum that Johnny has right now is pretty good,” McCarthy said. “We really had some very good options. There’s obviously a working relationship there, too.”

Velazquez was the main rider for Pletcher when McCarthy worked for him.

McCarthy planned to return to Southern California Wednesday following training hours at Belmont, then come back to New York in time to watch Rombauer have a workout. McCarthy would like to work Rombauer Saturday, though forecasted rain Friday may cause him to alter those plans.

It appears there will be a 10-horse field for the Belmont when entries are taken and post positions assigned on June 1.

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The expected field, with jockeys, is: Bourbonic (Kendrick Carmouche), Brooklyn Strong (Jose Ortiz), Essential Quality (Luis Saez), France Go de Ina (TBD), Hot Rod Charlie (Prat), Known Agenda (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Overtook (Manny Franco), Rebel’s Romance (Mike Smith), Rock Your World (Joel Rosario), and Rombauer (Velazquez).

Six of the 10 horses are on the grounds, with Essential Quality (Churchill Downs), Hot Rod Charlie (Santa Anita), Rock Your World (Santa Anita), and Brooklyn Strong (Parx) expected to ship following their last workout.