While the focus of the Preakness Stakes was rightfully on the stretch duel between Cloud Computing and Classic Empire – as well as the disappointing finish by Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming – the performance of third-place finisher Senior Investment may have gotten overlooked.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will be back in the Triple Crown picture in the 149th Belmont Stakes when he rides Lookin At Lee, the Kentucky Derby runner-up in the Test of the Champion.
Trainer Chad Brown on Sunday morning confirmed that Preakness winner Cloud Computing would skip the 149th Belmont Stakes on June 10.
Sharp Azteza, most recently third in the $1 million Godolphin Mile, is being pointed to the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. War Story, who was beaten a half-length last out when third in the Charles Town Classic, is targeting the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational.
Nearly 250 horses found their way onto the work tabs over the Belmont Park main and training tracks on Saturday, three of whom – Meantime, Patch, and Tapwrit – are likely to find themselves in the starting gate two weeks down the road in Belmont Stakes.
Having confirmed that Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming will skip the Belmont Stakes and return this summer, trainer Todd Pletcher on Saturday began focusing on the third leg of the Triple Crown with Tapwrit and Patch, his two potential starters for the 149th Belmont on June 10.
Last year, trainer Steve Asmussen tabbed Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride Creator in the Belmont Stakes, and the locally based rider gave the horse a flawless ride to beat Destin by a nose. On Friday, Asmussen confirmed that Ortiz will ride Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee in the Belmont Stakes.
Classic Empire returned to training for the first time since his gutsy runner-up finish in the May 20 Preakness by jogging around the Churchill Downs oval early Friday morning under the watchful eye of Norman Casse.
Jay Privman, national correspondent for Daily Racing Form, and Ed McNamara of Newsday were named the winners of the Joe Hirsch Memorial Writing Award, recognizing the best in print and Internet coverage of the 2016 Belmont Stakes, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.
Epicharis, the Japanese-based runner who will contest the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10, entered quarantine in Japan on Thursday at the Miho Training Center. He must be isolated for one week before shipping to New York on June 1.
