Clocker: Door open just a crack for an upset

Belmont Park

Weather: Clear

Track: Fast

Temp.: 56

ELMONT, N.Y. – The weather was unseasonably cool, with the temperature in the mid-50s, when the racetrack opened for training at Belmont Park on Thursday, with the 13 prospective Belmont Stakes starters pretty much in maintenance mode just over 48 hours in advance of the race.

Governor Malibu did the most of any of the Belmont starters to train Thursday, accelerating down the stretch when given the cue by his rider at the quarter pole. The Peter Pan runner-up, Governor Malibu blew out an easy half-mile in 52 and change, with his final furlong in 13.09, before easing up into the clubhouse turn.

Lani had a relatively easy morning after working on Wednesday, although he did visit the starting gate for a little schooling session, as did the Dale Romans duo of Cherry Wine and Brody’s Cause.

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Exaggerator had a regularly scheduled day off following his work Tuesday and two-mile jog over the training track Wednesday.

The following are impressions of the 13 Belmont starters from observations made here over the past two weeks.

GOVERNOR MALIBU – He’s a very striking 3-year-old who has continued to grow on me the more I’ve seen of him these past two weeks. His final work was okay, nothing special, but he’s looked very sharp and healthy coming out of that work and is giving every indication that he’s capable of moving forward off his nice effort in the Peter Pan.

DESTIN – He’s not the most impressive-looking galloper, and he continues to get warm while training, although I’d seen that from him both in Florida and at Churchill Downs prior to the Derby. His final work was a maintenance half-mile with a strong gallop-out, and he finished with his ears pricked while responding well to jockey Javier Castellano on the gallop-out. I prefer Stradivari a bit more of the two Todd Pletcher starters in the race.

CHERRY WINE – He’s shown some flashes of real ability in the morning going all the way back to last winter at Gulfstream Park, where he gave the impression that he’d get better with experience and added distance. He’s done nothing wrong since arriving in New York, with the gallop-out, as usual, the best part of his final work here last weekend.

SUDDENBREAKINGNEWS – He trained about as well as anyone leading up to the Derby and ran very well despite some early trouble that left him with far too much to do to catch the leaders. Haven’t seen much of him here, but the report out of Kentucky is that he’s continued to impress in the morning, which would indicate that he’s ready for perhaps his best yet with a little more distance to work with Saturday.

STRADIVARI – A very promising but still inexperienced colt of whom Pletcher said: “I’m confident he’s got a big Saturday in his future. Whether it’s going to be this one or not, I’m not certain.” His final Belmont work was slow by design, with the gallop-out extremely impressive, as he readily left his stakes-winning workmate, Decorated Soldier, in the rearview mirror while continuing on an additional quarter-mile around the turn. He figures to trip out well, stalking the early leaders, so it may just be a question of whether he’s capable of staying the added ground.

GETTYSBURG – He is a late edition to the race and in new hands since his last start. I did not see his half-mile breeze over the training track last weekend, and it appears that he’s in here to help assure a legitimate pace for WinStar stablemate Creator.

SEEKING THE SOUL – The comment in the Kentucky Derby Clocker Report for his work May 2 at Churchill Downs was that he looked like a horse who would need a race, and sure enough, he came back in his second start after that work to beat maidens going a mile. Whether that makes him good enough to hang with this company on short rest is another story. He looked fine in a couple of routine gallops since arriving here this week.

FOREVER D’ORO – He held his own and looked good breezing April 29 at Churchill Downs with Tom’s Ready, who finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby. But he had a tough trip in the nightcap on Derby Day. He bounced back with a maiden win here two weeks ago and seems to have come out of the race well, but he is taking a huge step up in company and returning on short rest.

TROJAN NATION – A late arrival from California, he doesn’t have the physical presence of most of the others in this field and would truly surprise if he wins his maiden on this stage.

LANI – He’s made a major turnaround since leaving an unfavorable impression while training up to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. He’s definitely a much more mature, professional, and relaxed horse who has held up surprisingly well under a very rigorous training regimen since arriving in New York. He’s no longer reluctant to breeze, as he had been in Louisville, and has actually had some impressive mornings over the past two weeks. His fitness for the race is certainly not an issue, and he’s likely to give a very good account of himself Saturday at a square price.

EXAGGERATOR – Overall, the Preakness winner has had a pretty good two weeks in New York, although his final work Wednesday produced mixed reactions. The gallop-out was strong but came after he bore well out turning for home and finished with his ears pinned and tail fully extended at the wire. We didn’t see any of that in his final work prior to the Derby. While he’s certainly the one to beat on paper, there are perhaps just enough question marks, including his ability to handle the distance and a dry track, to not question anyone siding against the short-priced favorite.

BRODY’S CAUSE – His one local work, three-eighths from the quarter pole in 37 and change, was a bit unorthodox, and it came on the heels of a one-mile work one week earlier in Kentucky. He’s looked fine in all subsequent gallops, although he’s still going to have to really step forward off his Blue Grass and Derby efforts to impact the leaderboard here.

CREATOR – He trained extremely well prior to the Derby but never got a real opportunity to show his best effort after being stopped cold behind Exaggerator on the final turn. The good-looking colt had all his major preparations for this race in Kentucky, with little more than a maintenance breeze locally, but continues to make a good appearance and is deserving of a mulligan off his eventful trip in the Derby.