ELMONT, N.Y. – Bourbon War, a horse who got a lot of support heading into the Preakness Stakes only to finish eighth, will attempt to make amends in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 8, trainer Mark Hennig said Friday. Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith, who won last year’s Belmont on Triple Crown winner Justify, will ride Bourbon War, Hennig said. Hennig confirmed Bourbon War as a Belmont starter after he worked a half-mile in 48.81 seconds, per the watch of Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch, Friday morning over Belmont’s main track, which was in surprisingly good shape following heavy rains that hit here Thursday, forcing the cancellation of that card’s last race. “I just think with the way the field was shaping up this week, some of the changes, we were weighing what our options are going forward, even grass among them,” said Hennig, who trains Bourbon War for the partnership of Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable. “We decided this was an opportunity to have a relatively decent chance in a Triple Crown race. Certainly, we respect the top choices in there. We felt why wouldn’t we take a crack at it? The horse is doing well. We’ll take the blinkers off and run him as he was in Florida and hope for a better result.” In Florida this winter, Bourbon War won an allowance race and finished second to Code of Honor in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth before finishing fourth behind Maximum Security in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Bourbon War did not get into the Kentucky Derby field and was pointed to the Preakness. Equipped with blinkers for that race, Bourbon War did little running, finishing eighth, 9 1/2 lengths behind War of Will. “We were puzzled by the last effort,” Hennig said. The addition of Bourbon War brings the expected field for the Belmont to 10 led by Preakness winner War of Will and Wood Memorial winner Tacitus. Others expected to enter when post positions are assigned Tuesday are Everfast, Intrepid Heart, Joevia, Master Fencer, Sir Winston, Spinoff, and Tax. Also working Friday at Belmont was Sir Winston, the Peter Pan runner-up, who went a half-mile in 50.31 seconds, per Welsch. Sir Winston galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.95 and six furlongs in 1:15.76. Mark Casse, the trainer of Sir Winston, said he wasn’t looking to do much with Sir Winston after the horse had a five-furlong work in 1:01.27 with a strong gallop-out on May 25. “I thought Sir Winston went really nice, so he’s ready,” Casse said from Ocala, Fla., after viewing a tape of the work. “I thought he worked really good the other day. For most horses that would be a B, for him that was an A-plus.” War of Will to gallop into Belmont Casse has opted for the less is more approach when it comes to preparing Preakness winner War of Will for the Belmont Stakes. Casse confirmed Friday that War of Will would not have a workout prior to starting in the Belmont Stakes. Casse had originally thought of shipping War of Will to New York in time to get a breeze over Belmont’s main track. Then, he decided he was going to just have War of Will do all his serious training at Keeneland with a breeze this weekend. Now, he’s opted just to gallop the horse into the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. “If he’s not fit now, he’s never going to be fit,” Casse said Friday. Casse said that because War of Will got nothing out of the Louisiana Derby – where he finished ninth and had an issue with a muscle in his hind end – he trained the horse hard going into the Kentucky Derby. “Going into the Derby, he was the leanest I’ve ever seen him and that was on purpose,” Casse said. “I knew I was playing catch-up. I trained him hard. When he got to Pimlico, I thought he was even lighter then. I just want him to put on a few pounds. They just sent me pictures of him and he looks like he’s doing that.” Casse said War of Will will leave Keeneland by van on Sunday and arrive at Belmont Park on Monday. ◗ Master Fencer returned to the track Friday morning, jogging once around the training track after visiting the paddock and walking along the outside rail of the main track to get to the training track. Master Fencer seemed eager to do more than he was allowed Friday morning. “He’s super energized now,” said Mitsuoki Numamoto, part of the team here overseeing his training. Trainer Koichi Tsunoda is expected in New York Tuesday and Master Fencer will have his final workout on Wednesday morning. ◗ Trainer Todd Pletcher postponed workouts for Intrepid Heart and Spinoff from Friday to Saturday, just wanting the main track to completely dry out from Thursday’s heavy rains. Pletcher said he planned to have John Velazquez work Intrepid Heart and Javier Castellano up on Spinoff. – additional reporting by Mike Welsch Potential Belmont Stakes Starters Horse Trainer Jockey Last Race Bourbon War Mark Hennig Mike Smith Preakness, 8th Everfast Dale Romans Luis Saez Preakness, 2nd Intrepid Heart Todd Pletcher John Velazquez Peter Pan, 3rd Joevia Greg Sacco undecided Long Branch, 1st Master Fencer (JPN) Koichi Tsunoda Julien Leparoux Ky Derby, 6th Sir Winston Mark Casse Joel Rosario Peter Pan, 2nd Spinoff Todd Pletcher Javier Castellano Ky. Derby, 18th Tacitus Bill Mott Jose Ortiz Ky. Derby, 3rd Tax Danny Gargan undecided Ky. Derby, 14th War of Will Mark Casse Tyler Gaffalione Preakness, 1st