Trainer Manny Azpurua will be the first to admit his Ravelo’s Boy is a decided outsider in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. But then again, Azpurua has always relished the idea of being the underdog and flying well below the radar whether at home or when venturing out of south Florida.
Owners George and Lori Hall and trainer Kelly Breen pulled off a Belmont Stakes shocker last year with 24-1 shot Ruler On Ice. This year, those same connections are back to take another swing with My Adonis, who was a last-minute addition to the Belmont Stakes field.
Dullahan will make his 10th career start Saturday in the $1 million Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park. He is listed as the 5-1 second choice on the morning line. Expectations among his connections are exceedingly high.
If you thought tickets were sold out for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, as has been reported, you’d be right. You’d also be so far behind the times you’re planning on taking a carriage to the race.
Victor Davila doesn’t pretend he caught a glimpse of greatness when I'll Have Another stepped into his view. But Davila did see something that few others saw that day, and that was a horse who could turn a profit.
When War Admiral won the Triple Crown in 1937, there were a total of 32 horses who ran against him in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. That remains a record, one I’ll Have Another will have to better if he is to become the 12th Triple Crown winner when he competes in the 144th Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park.
There is really no way to practice training a horse to run in the Belmont Stakes other than actually running a horse in the Belmont Stakes, which is why Chad Brown, at the ripe old age of 33, will be glad to at least get the ball rolling on Saturday.
After Lemon Drop Kid, Commendable, Sarava, Birdstone, Da’ Tara, and Ruler On Ice, we are all justifiably spooked by the Belmont Stakes, as if it this is a horror movie instead of a horse race.
I’ll Have Another drew post 11 from which he’ll begin his quest to win the Belmont Stakes and become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. A field of a dozen 3-year-olds was entered for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, with the late addition of My Adonis.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the New York Racing Association and the union which represents the track’s maintenance and starting gate crew to settle their differences before Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in which I’ll Have Another will attempt to become the sport’s 12th Triple Crown winner.
