ELMONT, N.Y. – Coming to the top of the Belmont Park stretch, when Kyle Frey guided Blended Citizen outside and into the clear after sitting behind three horses, the 26-year-old jockey, riding his first ever race at Belmont Park, was quite confident. “Once he got outside, I knew it was over,” Frey said. “I should have just thrown my stick over the inside rail.” Well, it wasn’t quite that easy, but Blended Citizen, after receiving three left-handed taps of Frey’s whip in upper stretch, ran down Core Beliefs to win the Grade 3, $350,000 Peter Pan Stakes and move on to the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 9. Core Beliefs, the 2-1 favorite who was part of what was a four-horse pace battle early, finished 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner and four lengths clear of third-place Just Whistle. High North, Zing Zang, and Gotta Go completed the order of finish. Diamond King, who will run in the Preakness, and Transistor, were scratched. The win was the first on dirt for Blended Citizen, who was supplemented to the Peter Pan after he failed to draw into the field from the also eligible list for last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Blended Citizen earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. Jack Sisterson, an assistant to trainer Doug O’Neill, said the Peter Pan-Belmont was the original plan for Blended Citizen. The Derby only became an option when so many horses ahead of him on the points list dropped out. “If there is a track in America that would suit this horse it would be Belmont because he’s a such a big horse with a big stride, I think that played to his favor today,” Sisterson said. A contested pace also played in Blended Citizen’s favor. Core Beliefs, Just Whistle, High North and Gotta Go were heads apart, four across the track through an opening half-mile in 47.07 seconds. Frey had Blended Citizen right behind them. Gotta Go was the first to falter and Frey followed the other three until the top of the stretch, when he swung Blended Citizen into the clear. Core Beliefs, under Tyler Baze, put away Just Whistle and High North, but Blended Citizen, with Frey just shaking the right rein at him, glided on past over a wet track labeled good following afternoon showers. Blended Citizen, a 3-year-old son of Proud Citizen owned by Greg Hall and Sayjay Racing, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.75. He returned $11.40 to win. Blended Citizen won the Jeff Ruby Steaks over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface and then finished fifth in the Blue Grass. Frey said the effort in the Blue Grass was better than it may look on paper. “It wasn’t for his style of running,” Frey said. “For him to make up as much ground as he did that day, it just goes to show how phenomenal a horse he is, in my opinion.” Frey believes the 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont “Is just what he wants. I was super upset he didn’t get in the Derby because I knew a mile and a quarter would even be just fine.” Blended Citizen will remain at Belmont Park to train up to the Belmont Stakes. His connections will wait to see if Kentucky Derby winner Justify wins the Preakness and comes to New York with a chance at the Triple Crown. “Justify’s such a good horse, we’d love for him to win the Preakness and come to Belmont with the potential for a Triple Crown winner,” Sisterson said. “Bob Baffert,” the trainer of Justify “is the best out there doing things like that but we’ll be liking our chances because he seemed to handle Belmont Park well.” Tonalist, in 2014, is the last horse to win the Peter Pan and Belmont Stakes. The last two winners of the Peter Pan, Timeline and Unified, did not run in the Belmont. Blended Citizen is likely the only Peter Pan runner to come back in the Belmont. Trainer Peter Eurton said he was proud of Core Beliefs’s performance, but he is not Triple Crown nominated and it would cost his owners a $50,000 supplemental fee to be eligible to run. Eurton said Core Beliefs is scheduled to fly back to California on Tuesday.