Candy Ride, a perennial leading sire represented by multiple Eclipse Award champions, has accomplished much in his stud career. One of the few things he has yet to check off is siring an American classic winner, and he will get another chance this Saturday, as Rock Your World, a troubled 17th in the Kentucky Derby, returns for the Belmont Stakes.
Hot Rod Charlie and Rock Your World both arrived in New York on Saturday night from California and seemed to be settling in their respective barns on the backstretch at Belmont Park on Sunday morning as they head for a meeting in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes next Saturday.
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.
Essential Quality completed his major preparations as one of the favorites for the 153rd Belmont Stakes, drilling five furlongs before daybreak Saturday at Churchill Downs.
A foreboding local forecast for potentially heavy rain beginning late Friday afternoon and continuing throughout the night forced many a trainer based at Belmont Park to alter their workout schedule for the weekend. That group included Michael McCarthy, who trains Preakness winner Rombauer, and his former boss Todd Pletcher, both of whom pushed final Belmont Stakes works up 24 hours to avoid the likelihood of a very wet track here Saturday.
This year's Triple Crown is such that jockey John Velazquez may ultimately learn he no longer was on the Kentucky Derby winner, but heading into next Saturday's $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, he'll find himself on the Preakness winner.
Rock Your World zipped five furlongs in 58.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Friday morning, a day before he was scheduled to be flown to New York for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5.
For the third time in eight days, Rebel's Romance recorded an official workout on Wednesday at Belmont Park in preparation for a start in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 5.
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.
At Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed early Monday that Preakness runner-up Midnight Bourbon will not run in the Belmont.
