ELMONT, N.Y. – When Corey Nakatani rides Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, it will be just his third mount in the third leg of the Triple Crown. The others were Green Alligator, who finished 10th in 1991, and Buckle Down Ben, who finished seventh in 2001.
Nehro is trained by Steve Asmussen, and that duo has teamed up to win at a 30 percent clip since the beginning of 2010.
Jockeys Ramon Dominguez and Jesus Castanon, both of whom will ride in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, appeared on Howard Stern’s immensely popular satellite radio show Wednesday, in a 15-minute segment laced with profanity that included frank discussions about weight management, rider’s earnings, and racetrack groupies.
ELMONT, N.Y. − It’s not a stretch to suggest what Calvin Borel is to Churchill Downs, John Velazquez is to Belmont Park.
Since the retirement of Pat Day, Borel has become the master of Churchill Downs, especially in the track’s biggest race, the Kentucky Derby, which he has won three of the last five years. While Velazquez hasn’t been quite as successful in the Belmont Stakes − he is 1 for 14 − his overall knowledge, experience, and record of success here is vast.
Trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal had seriously considered running recent allowance winner Harlan’s Hello in the Belmont, but ultimately passed in part because he didn’t want to run two horses in the race. Shivmangal entered Isn’t He Perfect instead.
BELMONT STAKES: Contender profiles, Watchmaker's odds »
Shivmangal said that Harlan’s Hello is nominated to a pair of Grade 2 stakes, including the Pegasus at Monmouth Park next Saturday.
For the first time since 1993, the Belmont Stakes will be run without a horse from the barn of trainers Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, or Nick Zito.
That trio of Hall of Fame trainers has combined to win seven of the 17 Belmonts run since 1994, with Lukas winning four, Zito two, and Baffert one.
With a 13-race card Saturday at Belmont Park, there will be plenty of wagering opportunities, including a trio of pick-four wagers.
The pick-fours will begin on races 2, 8, and 10. The all stakes pick-four that begins with race 8 will have a guaranteed pool of $1 million and consist of the Just a Game, Woody Stephens, Manhattan, and conclude with the Belmont Stakes.
