Mischevious Alex ramps back up for Derby in Woody Stephens
Trainer John Servis hopes the public won't have to wait until late Saturday afternoon to see a legitimate Kentucky Derby prospect.
David GreningJun 18, 2020
Trainer John Servis hopes the public won't have to wait until late Saturday afternoon to see a legitimate Kentucky Derby prospect.
Pletcher has won the Belmont three times, in each case with a horse who followed the same plan – a gap of five weeks into the 1 1/2-mile race after competing the first weekend of May at Churchill Downs. This year, owing to chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Belmont, though postponed by two weeks, is the first leg of the Triple Crown, and at an abbreviated distance of 1 1/8 miles. That's a lot of change. What hasn't changed is that Pletcher is in with strong chances.
Tiz the Law will have nine challengers and a potential pace duel ahead of him when he starts as the heavy favorite in Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes. Tiz the Law drew post 8 and was installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in a 10-horse field.
The owners of Max Player will have to pay a double jockey's fee for the Belmont Stakes after making a late switch from Dylan Davis to Joel Rosario, according to the stewards. Thus, whatever Rosario earns, Davis will also get.
For the past five years, Larry Collmus and John Imbriale have shared the announcer's booth on Belmont Stakes Day. Collmus would call the majority of the races, including the Belmont, while Imbriale would call the races following the Belmont. Saturday, Collmus and Imbriale will be among the few people even allowed on the grounds of Belmont Park, each one calling the race for a different audience.
Nearly three decades after his own Belmont Stakes victory, A.P. Indy is responsible, via his direct male line, for the sire or broodmare sire of six of the 10 expected starters in this year's renewal.
Fore Left, winner of the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas in Dubai in his last start, will be re-routed from Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Woody Stephens to the $1 million Belmont Stakes, trainer Doug O’Neill said Tuesday.
There were discussions held between the New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission about allowing a limited number of owners connected with each Belmont Stakes horse on the grounds Saturday, but it was ultimately determined that there would not be enough time to implement additional health and safety protocols for that to happen.
In the days following Max Player's victory in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Feb. 1 at Aqueduct, while many were starting to talk Kentucky Derby, trainer Linda Rice seemed more excited about the Belmont Stakes.
Constitution, Quality Road, and Super Saver, who have contenders for this Saturday's Belmont Stakes, are just three of the many successful stallions whose racetrack careers were under the tutelage of Todd Pletcher.