Velazquez picks up mount on Ride On Curlin

ELMONT, N.Y. - Preakness runner-up Ride On Curlin will have his third rider in as many Triple Crown races when John Velazquez pilots him in the Belmont Stakes.

Velazquez, a two-time winner of the Belmont, replaces Joel Rosario, who is committed to ride Peter Pan winner Tonalist in the Belmont. Rosario replaced Calvin Borel, who rode Ride On Curlin to a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Billy Gowan, the trainer of Ride On Curlin, said he’s sorry to lose Rosario, but happy to have Velazquez.

“He’s a Hall of Famer, he’s won a helluva lot more races than I have,” Gowan said. “Listen, horses make trainers and jockeys. Hopefully, we get a clean break, a good trip and maybe we have a shot.”

Gowan said he would have Velazquez work the horse once before the Belmont.