ELMONT, N.Y. - Chocolate Candy completed preparations for Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes with an easy half-mile breeze in 50.25 seconds Monday morning over Belmont Park's main track.
It was his fourth and final breeze since arriving here on May 6, four days after he finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby.
Exercise rider Lindsey Molina didn't ask much of Chocolate Candy in the breeze, which was conducted shortly after 7 a.m., after the track had been open for 90 minutes.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Charitable Man and Dunkirk, the likely second and third betting choices, respectively, behind Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird for next Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes, each put in their final workouts for that race on Sunday morning at Belmont Park.
Charitable Man, working by himself, went a half-mile in 49.00 seconds a short time after Dunkirk, who worked in company with Monba, went the same distance in 49.57. Both works were done over a fast main track following the renovation break.
ELMONT, N.Y. - One year later, Kent Desormeaux still has no regrets.
With the world anticipating Thoroughbred racing's first Triple Crown winner in 30 years, Desormeaux pulled up the undefeated Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown with a quarter-mile remaining in last year's Belmont Stakes and simply galloped the 1-5 favorite to the wire. Obviously, something went amiss with Big Brown, but to this day no one is really certain exactly what.
What Desormeaux is certain of, however, is that he did the right thing.
Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby in a runaway. He came up a little short in the Preakness Stakes. A decision on who rides him in the Belmont Stakes might come right down to the wire.
The deadline is Wednesday to enter the 141st Belmont, to be run June 6 at Belmont Park. Chip Woolley, the trainer of Mine That Bird, on Thursday said he would be willing to wait fairly close to then if that's what it took to secure Calvin Borel as his rider for the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Four times in the last 15 years, trainer D. Wayne Lukas has won the Belmont Stakes. He won three straight from 1994-96, with Tabasco Cat, Thunder Gulch, and Editor's Note, then did it again with Commendable in 2000.
Since then, though, Lukas has had just four Belmont starters - Buckle Down Ben, Proud Citizen, Scrimshaw, and A.P. Arrow - none of whom did better than fifth.
Twice in the last three years, the Belmont Stakes was won by a horse who was still eligible to a first-level allowance race. Neither Jazil in 2006, nor Da' Tara in 2008 had won anything other than a maiden race before capturing the Belmont, but both thrived over the 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer spent more time in the air than on the ground Monday, but he felt his 6,000-mile, cross-country roundtrip was worth it after watching Chocolate Candy breeze seven furlongs in 1:27.34 at Belmont Park.
Chocolate Candy doesn't dazzle observers with his breezes, but Hollendorfer and exercise rider Lindsey Molina both seemed content with how the colt is doing and, perhaps more importantly, how he is handling Belmont Park's sandy main track.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Owner Jess Jackson said Monday morning at Churchill Downs that he has made no decision regarding the Belmont Stakes status of Rachel Alexandra, leading the connections of Mine That Bird to say they will wait to see what happens before deciding whether Calvin Borel will have the mount back on the gelding for the Belmont.
ELMONT, N.Y. - When Tim Ice received his trainer's license 13 months ago, the powers that be evidently forget to issue him the horsemen's handbook on standard expressions and excuses.
Thus, after Summer Bird worked seven furlongs in a moderate 1:26.40 Saturday morning over Belmont Park's main track, Ice did not issue the mundane "It was just what we wanted" line. Instead, Ice was refreshingly candid when he said that he felt Summer Bird "didn't look 100 percent comfortable" over the sandy Belmont surface.
ELMONT, N.Y. - With 11 top-three finishes - including two victories - from 20 starters in the Belmont Stakes, Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito has earned a free pass when it comes to starting horses in the third leg of the Triple Crown.
So while, on paper, Brave Victory and Miner's Escape may not have the credentials to win a Triple Crown race, just hearken back to last year when the Zito-trained Da' Tara - with only a maiden win to his credit - rolled to a five-length victory at odds of 38-1. Brave Victory and Miner's Escape have already won twice.
