Belmont Stakes: Shortened distance ideal for royally bred Batten Down

Batten Down, who won a 1 1/4-mile maiden race at Churchill Downs by 8 3/4 lengths on April 30, is training toward a start in the $2 million Belmont Stakes on June 8 at Saratoga, trainer Bill Mott said Wednesday.

The distance of this year’s Belmont, since it will be run at Saratoga, is 1 1/4 miles.

“It looked like it was going to work in his favor,” Mott said of that distance. “Where are you going to get that distance?”

Batten Downs, a product of Grade 1 winners Tapit and Close Hatches, is a full-brother to Tacitus, who finished second in the 2019 Belmont Stakes. Tacitus won the Wood Memorial and finished fourth, placed third via the disqualification of Maximum Security, in the Kentucky Derby.

Batten Down will be ridden in the Belmont by Junior Alvarado.

Batten Down lost his first three starts, two at Gulfstream Park, one at Keeneland, before he romped at Churchill.

“I didn’t have a lot of expectations, he’d been [fooling] around in his races,” Mott said. “It looked like he was finally focused.”

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On Monday, Batten Down worked five furlongs in 1:02.55 over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga.

Mott stakes runners near starts

Also working Monday at Saratoga was Just F Y I, last year’s champion 2-year-old filly who finished second in the Kentucky Oaks. Just F Y I went a half-mile in 47 seconds, the fastest of 22 moves at that distance. She is being pointed to the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn Stakes at Saratoga on June 7.

“She just did it on her own,” Mott said.

Mott said he will nominate Sidamara, a recent allowance winner at Churchill, to the Acorn as well, but may look to run her elsewhere. There is the Monmouth Oaks on June 27 or a trio of Oaks in Delaware, Indiana, and Iowa on July 6.

War Like Goddess, who was scratched out of the Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland on April 26 after she suffered a cut in a stall mishap, worked four furlongs in 49.49 seconds on May 17. Mott is likely going to run her in the Grade 1, $750,000 New York Stakes on June 7 though he is not thrilled at having to run her at 1 3/16 miles.

“They’re forcing me to run at a distance I don’t want to run at,” said Mott, who prefers to run War Like Goddess at 1 1/4 miles or farther.

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Due to the move to Saratoga, the New York will be run at 1 3/16 miles as opposed to its usual distance of 1 1/4 miles.

Casa Creed, who worked a half-mile in 47.25 on Monday over the Oklahoma track at Saratoga, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $350,000 Poker Stakes on June 8.

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