ELMONT, N.Y. – As a 2-year-old, National Treasure was a bit behind his more brilliant, perhaps more precocious stablemates such as Cave Rock and Arabian Knight. At the time, trainer Bob Baffert hinted the best was still to come for National Treasure. “By spring he’s going to be this really nice horse,” Baffert said last fall. While Cave Rock has yet to run at 3 and Arabian Knight has only raced once this year, National Treasure has made his mark in the division with his gutsy Preakness victory on May 20. Saturday, he’ll attempt to add the Belmont Stakes to his résumé. Monday, National Treasure completed preparations for the 1 1/2-mile race with a good-looking five-furlong workout timed in 59.39 seconds by Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. National Treasure, with exercise rider Erick Garcia up, left running at the half-mile pole, went his first quarter in 23.58, his second quarter in 23.76, then continued out past the wire in 59.39, six furlongs in 1:11.73, and up seven furlongs in 1:25.63. He was purposely kept three paths off the rail by Garcia. “If he gets on the rail, he really wants to go,” said Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s assistant who oversaw the move with Baffert on the phone in California. “We were just keeping him comfortable. He was straight as can be, worked through the wire on through the turn, just what you wanted to see.” :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Join DRF Bets and get a $250 deposit match bonus, $10 free bet, and FREE DRF Formulator! Garcia, a jockey who rides in California but who traveled with National Treasure to Baltimore, indicated National Treasure has improved since then. “He was a happy horse in Baltimore, but I love him better right now,” Garcia said. “You want him to get better every time, and he feels like he’s getting better every start.” Speaking of National Treasure on Sunday, Baffert said “He’s getting better and better, he’s improving, he’s maturing.” Baffert said National Treasure reminded him of Authentic, who in 2020 won the COVID-delayed Kentucky Derby followed by the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Monday was National Treasure’s second work over Belmont’s main track. On May 31, National Treasure worked a half-mile in 50.85, a move where jockey John Velazquez took a hold of the horse to slow him down after a fast opening quarter before letting him finish up past the wire. National Treasure will try to be the first horse since Pillory in 1922 to win the Preakness and Belmont without having run in the Kentucky Derby. That year, though, the Derby and Preakness were run on the same day, with the Belmont run five weeks later. The Preakness was run at 1 1/8 miles, the Belmont at 1 3/8 miles. National Treasure was one of two horses to put in workouts Monday in preparation for the Belmont. Red Route One, fourth to National Treasure in the Preakness, went a half-mile in 50.17 over the training track. “All systems go,” said Steve Asmussen, trainer of Red Route One. National Treasure and Red Route One are expected to be part of a nine-horse field for the Belmont. Raise Cain was withdrawn from the race Monday and will instead run in the Grade 3, $400,000 Matt Winn Stakes, run at Ellis Park, according to trainer Ben Colebrook. Post positions were to be assigned Tuesday morning. Trainer Todd Pletcher, a four-time Belmont winner, will enter Forte, who will be making his first start since he won the Florida Derby on April 1, and Tapit Trice, the seventh-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby. Those two horses had their final works on Saturday. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play with FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic.  Brad Cox’s trio of Angel of Empire, Hit Show, and Tapit Shoes were due to arrive Tuesday from Kentucky, where they all had their final workouts on Saturday. Arcangelo, the Peter Pan winner, and Il Miracolo, soundly beaten by Forte in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby, were the others expected to be entered. The weather forecast for Saturday looks fabulous with sunshine and a high of 75 degrees. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.