Belmont Stakes: National Treasure shows plenty of energy in return to work tab
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ELMONT, N.Y. – Ten days after a narrow victory in the Preakness Stakes, National Treasure is acting like a fresh, energetic horse. John Velazquez, his jockey, would prefer to conserve some of that energy for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10.
Tuesday morning, National Treasure, with Velazquez up, returned to the work tab, going a half-mile in 50.85 seconds over the Belmont main track, per Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch.
After National Treasure went a quick opening quarter in 23.63, Velazquez took a big hold of National Treasure in upper stretch, which contributed to him going his final quarter in a slow 27.22. Nearing the wire, Velazquez asked National Treasure to run again, and he proceeded to gallop out five furlongs in 1:03.19 and six furlongs in 1:16.08.
“He picked it up way too fast around the [far turn], I just kind of held him there, held him, held him, and slowed him down the best I could,” Velazquez said. “I didn’t want to let him do too much, then I let him gallop out and he galloped out very good. I overcompensated a little bit down the stretch.”
Velazquez said overall he was “very happy” with how National Treasure is doing heading into the Belmont.
“That’s what we need a fresh horse,” Velazquez said. “We just ran a couple of weeks ago, so I don’t want to overdo it either.”
National Treasure is trained by Bob Baffert, who will be seeking his fourth victory in the Belmont Stakes. He has not run a horse in the Belmont since Justify completed the Triple Crown in 2018.
In attendance for Tuesday’s work was Tom Ryan, of SF Racing, one of the bevy of owners of National Treasure. Ryan said he was not concerned with the slow final time of the work.
“Johnny’s a Hall of Famer, he knows the horse, he knows what he wants, he knows where he needs to be on June 10,” Ryan said. “This morning was just maintenance, that’s really all we were looking for here. As long as he was getting a good feel of the horse, the energy is there, the fluidity is [too]. He glides across that surface. Not every horse does, right?”
Ryan said that Reincarnate, the Grade 3 Sham Stakes winner who finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby, would be pointed to the Travers Stakes on Aug. 26 at Saratoga with likely one race before then. Reincarnate was briefly mentioned as a possible starter for the Belmont Stakes.
“It’ll give him a little bit of time to fill up again out of the Derby,” Ryan said. “It feels like he’s just getting bigger and stronger with time. We all want everything to happen tomorrow. If you’re patient with these horses and give them a chance to be all they can be, it’s amazing how they’ll repay you.”
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