Belmont Stakes: France Go de Ina works half-mile around the dogs

ELMONT, N.Y. – At Belmont Park, France Go de Ina, seventh in the Preakness Stakes, blew out over a sloppy main track Saturday morning in advance of a more serious workout scheduled for Wednesday morning.

With lime traffic cones, known as dogs, keeping horses at least six paths off the rail, France Go de Ina was timed for a half-mile in 53.29 seconds from the quarter pole to a quarter-mile past the wire by Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. It will not be recorded as an official workout by the track clockers.

“He just went the length of the stretch because it’s nice and long, perfect distance,” trainer Hideyuki Mori said through an interpreter.

:: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, past performances, analysis, and more

France Go de Ina, a Kentucky-bred son of Will Take Charge, chased Medina Spirit and Midnight Bourbon from third for about seven furlongs of the Preakness before backing up to seventh, beaten 24 1/4 lengths by Rombauer.

France Go de Ina vanned from Pimlico to Belmont Park on May 17 and has been training daily over the main track since then.

“He’s gotten a lot of his condition back and he’s looking quite well,” Mori said. “It seems like he’s settled in quite well.”

In addition to the first-place purse of $800,000, France Go de Ina is racing for a $1 million bonus for winning the Belmont offered by the New York Racing Association to a horse based in Japan who has made at least three starts in that country.

◗ Brooklyn Strong, 15th in the Kentucky Derby, will not run in the Belmont Stakes, trainer Danny Velazquez said Saturday.

Velazquez had not been pleased with a May 22 workout put in by Brooklyn Strong at Parx and was going to wait to work him again Saturday before making a decision.

Velazquez opted not to work the horse and, in consultation with owner Mark Schwartz, opted to skip the race.

“My team and I decided this morning that we should do what’s right for the horse and not run under the pressure of making the Belmont,” Velazquez said. “Just want to run when he’s 110 percent ready.”

◗ Entries were to be made and post positions drawn Tuesday morning for the Belmont. With a decision on Keepmeinmind pending, the nine definites for the race are Bourbonic (Kendrick Carmouche), Essential Quality (Luis Saez), France Go de Ina (Ricardo Santana Jr.), Hot Rod Charlie (Flavien Prat), Known Agenda (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Overtook (Manny Franco) Rebel’s Romance (Mike Smith), Rock Your World (Joel Rosario), and Rombauer (John Velazquez).