SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As it gets closer to finalizing the field for the $2 million Belmont Stakes to be run next Saturday at Saratoga, one thing that’s becoming clear is the pace scenario will likely not be as torrid as it was in the Kentucky Derby five weeks ago.
Of course, that is likely to have a significant impact on Golden Tempo and Renegade, who took advantage of a fast pace to close from the back of the pack in finishing one-two in the Kentucky Derby.
On April 4, five weeks after returning from serious injuries that sidelined him 106 days, jockey Dylan Davis won his first graded stakes when he guided Always a Runner to victory in the Grade 3 Gazelle at Aqueduct. That’s the good news.
Four weeks later, when Always a Runner won the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, it was Jose Ortiz who was on the filly’s back. Davis picked up the mount on Lovely Grey, who finished 12th in the 13-horse field.
While trainer Bill Mott may not have been able to become the first trainer in 28 years to record a repeat victory in the Kentucky Derby, he stands a very good chance to become the first trainer in 30 years to win back-to-back runnings of the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has run at least two horses in the Belmont Stakes in each of the last 13 years and 15 times overall.
He is likely to continue that trend this year. Already set to run Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade in the 158th Belmont on June 6, Pletcher is strongly considering starting recent maiden winner Powershift as well. For the third straight year, this year’s Belmont will be run at Saratoga and at 1 1/4 miles.
While only three starters from this year’s Kentucky Derby ran back in last Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park, there are as many as seven Derby alumni who are under consideration for a start in the $2 million Belmont Stakes to be run June 6 at Saratoga.
Brad Cox did not notch his first outright Kentucky Derby win last weekend, but he still has a loaded stable and is hatching plans for his two Derby runners and a host of other high-level performers.
Cox, who won the 2021 Derby with Mandaloun after Medina Spirit was disqualified for a positive drug test, had to scratch Fulleffort from the Derby when the colt was diagnosed with a chipped ankle, leaving him with two Derby starters. Further Ado, the most tepid of favorites at 5-1, finished 13th, while Commandment, the 6-1 fourth choice, was seventh with a tough trip.
Making official what had been widely known for a long time, the Belmont Stakes will be held in Saratoga in 2026 and run at 1 1/4 miles, the third straight year the third leg of the Triple Crown will be held at the upstate New York track.
The Belmont, typically run at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park, has been run at Saratoga since 2024 due to the renovation of Belmont Park. That track, in Elmont, N.Y., is expected to re-open in September 2026 and the Belmont Stakes will return to Belmont in the spring of 2027.
Just before noon on Saturday, the New York Racing Association announced that its two Grade 1 grass races on the 14-race Belmont Stakes card would be moved to Sunday, while all of the remaining grass races on the card would be moved to the dirt.
With that, a blockbuster card appeared to be headed for a big-time bust.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It was just six days before the 2025 Florida Derby, on March 23, when jockey Junior Alvarado’s dream to finally win the Kentucky Derby nearly ended. The 38-year-old veteran suffered a slightly fractured scapula when his mount, the Bill Mott-trained Term, fell after suffering a heart attack less than a quarter-mile into a maiden race on the turf at Gulfstream Park.
