ELMONT, N.Y. - Ken McPeek has a sense of history, and a sense of duty. As a fan, and then a trainer, he has seen how difficult it is to win the Triple Crown. But that will not stop him from trying to play spoiler for the second straight year.
Skip to main content
Create Your DRF Account
New to DRF?
Everything you could possibly
need in one place
need in one place
Register
Don't have an account?
Register Here
The day after the Kentucky Derby, Ten Most Wanted was in great discomfort, more so than the fans who had made him the third choice and watched him finish ninth.
The previous afternoon, he had been bumped sharply leaving the gate, putting his back out of alignment. "He wouldn't jog," his trainer, Wally Dollase, remembered. "He had displaced his back about a half an inch."
"There was severe pressure on his spinal cord," said Dr. Herb Warren, a veterinarian who worked on Ten Most Wanted. "His back was out of whack. He didn't want to move behind."
ELMONT, N.Y. - Funny Cide's attempt to become Thoroughbred racing's 12th Triple Crown winner got a little easier Thursday when the connections of contender Atswhatimtalknbout and longshot Colita were withdrawn from consideration for the June 7 Belmont Stakes.
Their defections reduce the number of definite starters to seven with three more still remaining as possible. The definites are Best Minister, Dynever, Empire Maker, Funny Cide, Scrimshaw, Supervisor, and Ten Most Wanted. Possible starters include Midway Road, Outta Here, and Wild and Wicked.
ELMONT, N.Y. - After trying to wait out Mother Nature, trainer Barclay Tagg could wait no longer. So on Wednesday morning, following another barrage of showers that turned Belmont Park's main track into a muddy mess, Tagg sent out Funny Cide for a much-anticipated workout in preparation for his date with destiny in the June 7 Belmont Stakes.
Weather has wreaked havoc on the training schedules of many of the East Coast-based horses pointing for the June 7 Belmont Stakes, but out in California, it has been a smooth ride for Ten Most Wanted, far smoother than the trip he had in the Kentucky Derby.
After getting slammed like a bumper car at Churchill Downs, finishing ninth, and winding up with a back that needed work from a chiropractor, Ten Most Wanted returned to Hollywood Park, where trainer Wally Dollase could take five weeks to prepare Ten Most Wanted for the 135th Belmont Stakes.
ELMONT, N.Y - Bobby Frankel's decision to work Empire Maker on a yielding Belmont turf course Sunday rather than ship to Monmouth Park for Monday's Jersey Derby looked even smarter Monday morning when Mother Nature dumped more than an inch of rain on the Northeast, creating extremely sloppy conditions at Monmouth and Belmont Park.
So, instead of getting on a van Monday, Empire Maker simply walked his shed row one day after working five furlongs in 1:02.61.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Bobby Frankel went to plan C Sunday morning, electing to work Belmont Stakes contender Empire Maker over a yielding Belmont turf course rather than ship him to Monmouth Park for Monday's Jersey Derby.
On Saturday, Frankel had entered Empire Maker in Monday's Jersey Derby because he did not want to work him over a sloppy Belmont main track. The Jersey Derby, originally scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on turf, was moved to the dirt at the same distance.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Bobby Frankel dropped a bombshell Saturday morning when he dropped Empire Maker's name in the entry box for Monday's $100,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park. Frankel plans to use the race as a prep for the June 7 Belmont Stakes.
The Jersey Derby, which had been scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf, has been moved to the dirt because of extremely soft turf conditions.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The stars and other supporting characters appear already to be in place for the 135th running of the Belmont Stakes, to be run on June 7. Saturday's $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes may serve only to provide some minor players to the cast of the last leg of the Triple Crown.
