Justify to breeze at least once for Belmont Stakes

Justify has settled in at Churchill Downs, was scheduled to return to the track for training Thursday, and will have at least one workout there in preparation for the Belmont Stakes on June 9, when he tries to become the sport’s 13th Triple Crown winner and the second for trainer Bob Baffert.

Baffert, back at his California base at Santa Anita this week, said Justify would have “one work for sure” prior to the Belmont, but he would not come up with a definitive plan until a quick visit to Churchill Downs this holiday weekend to check in on Justify, who is there under the day-to-day care of Baffert’s top assistant, Jim Barnes.

“He’ll probably work the Saturday, Sunday, or Monday before the Belmont,” said Baffert, who said Justify “didn’t lose an ounce” coming out of his hard-fought Preakness victory last Saturday at Pimlico.

“He’s just a hell of a horse,” Baffert said.

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Justify has had five races in 13 weeks. By comparison, when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown for Baffert in 2015, he had raced as a 2-year-old, and the Preakness marked his fourth start at age 3. American Pharoah had two works in between the Preakness and the Belmont. He too trained at Churchill Downs between the Preakness and Belmont.

Meanwhile, Baffert could find himself in the awkward circumstance of having to beat himself with a Triple Crown on the line.

Owner Gary West has expressed an interest in running the Baffert-trained Restoring Hope in the Belmont. A son of Giant’s Causeway, Restoring Hope has one win from five starts. After winning a maiden race at Santa Anita on Feb. 2 in his third start, Restoring Hope finished third behind Vino Rosso in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 7. Most recently, he finished 12th of 14 in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. That race was run over a sloppy track.

Since the Pat Day Mile, Restoring Hope has fired two bullet works at Churchill Downs including a five-furlong drill in 1:00 on Tuesday morning.

“We’re looking at it very seriously with him,” Baffert said.” If he’s doing well, [West] wants to take a shot at it, maybe get a piece of it.”

Restoring Hope is a half-brother to Tale of a Champion, winner of the Grade 2 Charlie Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

The Belmont Stakes could be getting some international flavor as trainer Dermot Weld, who won the 1990 Belmont Stakes with Go and Go, is considering shipping the Kentucky-bred Bandua here from Ireland.

Bandua, a son of The Factor, is owned by Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm and has won both of his career starts, both 1 1-4-miles on turf including an allowance at Cork on May 5.

“This horse has never raced on the dirt,” Weld said. “He’s an American-bred horse – he’s out of a Seattle Slew mare – and that gives us the encouragement. We want to see him work and do everything right and make a decision later in the week.”

Calumet also owns Preakness runner-up Bravazo.

– additional reporting by David Grening

PROSPECTIVE BELMONT STAKES FIELD

HORSE	TRAINER	JOCKEY	LAST RACE/FINISH
Audible	Todd Pletcher	Javier Castellano	Kentucky Derby - 3rd (CD)
Bandua	Dermot Weld	TBD	Allowance - 1st (Cork - IRE)
Blended Citizen	Doug O'Neill	Kyle Frey	Peter Pan Stakes - 1st (BEL)
Bravazo	D. Wayne Lukas	Luis Saez	Preakness - 2nd (PIM)
Free Drop Billy	Dale Romans	TBD	Kentucky Derby - 16th (CD)
Gronkowski	Chad Brown	TBD	Burradon Stakes - 1st (Newcastle - ENG)
Hofburg	Bill Mott	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Kentucky Derby - 7th (CD)
Justify	Bob Baffert	Mike Smith	Preakness - 1st (PIM)
Restoring Hope	Bob Baffert	Flavien Prat	Pat Day Mile - 12th (CD)
Tenfold	Steve Asmussen	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Preakness - 3rd (PIM)
Vino Rosso	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez	Kentucky Derby - 9th (CD)