Trainers shake up routines for Belmont Stakes contenders

ELMONT, N.Y. – After spending the past three mornings watching the same prospective Belmont Stakes starters go through virtually the same routines, there finally was some welcomed diversity during training hours at the main track Friday, with some relevant activity also taking place over at the training track during the course of the session.

Joining the regular cast of characters that had been training here this week for the June 7 Belmont was Commanding Curve, who arrived from Kentucky the previous afternoon and caught everybody’s attention with a somewhat impromptu but nonetheless impressive body of work Friday. Of course, California Chrome remains the center of attention no matter what he does any morning leading up to his possible date with destiny, adding a trip to the starting gate to his normal training regimen.

Kid Cruz recorded the first official workout by any potential Belmont starter since Sunday, breezing six furlongs over the training track shortly after the first renovation break. His status for the Belmont still remained up in the air following the work.

Kid Cruz (six furlongs in 1:14.53) broke off inside stablemate A Marked Man at the four-furlong pole and remained about a half-length behind his well-held partner through an opening half-mile to the wire in 49.97. The pair picked up the pace willingly into the turn, completing five-eighths on even terms under very mild encouragement in 1:02.26, after which Kid Cruz was asked to continue on his own for another 1 1/2 furlongs before galloping out seven panels in 1:28.17 in what can be considered just an average move for a horse who’ll be a decided outsider, if he does compete in the Belmont.

Commanding Curve jogged back to the seven-eighths pole, turned around to gallop, and like the Energizer bunny, kept going and going and going, passing the wire twice before finally pulling up on the clubhouse turn after travelling 2 3/8 miles at an honest pace, his final half-mile even stronger than the opening half. Although the length of the gallop might have been due to rider error, it is apparent the Derby runner-up has come to town with plenty of foundation in preparation for the grueling 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont.

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California Chrome, like clockwork, had hit the track promptly at 6 a.m. each day this week and jogged to the half-mile pole before turning around to gallop two miles. On Friday, however, California Chrome came out about 20 minutes later than usual to accommodate his visit to the starting gate. He then proceeded to jog a full mile to the gate, stood briefly in one of the outside stalls, then galloped 1 1/4 miles around to the clubhouse turn, looking the best and most aggressive I’ve seen him this week while giving exercise rider Willie Delgado all he could handle coming past the wire and into the bend. It would appear Saturday’s scheduled half-mile work cannot come soon enough.

Like California Chrome, Ride On Curlin had a scheduled schooling session at the gate but did so after first galloping another impressive-looking 1 1/2 miles. Regular exercise rider Bryan Beccia also had his hands full keeping Ride On Curlin from running off just prior to pulling up near the mile pole before his brief visit at the gate. Ride On Curlin will have his final Belmont work Sunday.

Tonalist was his usual, strong self again Friday but went a little farther than normal, galloping 1 3/4 miles after first jogging back, as usual, from the wire to the mile pole.

After keeping Wicked Strong in the barn on Thursday, trainer Jimmy Jerkens opted to send him to the training track this morning, where he appeared to relax a lot better than he had on the main track, during a pretty routine 1 3/8-mile gallop.

Social Inclusion continues to have trouble with his lead changes over the 1 1/2-mile Belmont oval but otherwise seems to be training well following his arrival earlier this week from Pimlico. He too is scheduled to breeze Saturday.