ELMONT, N.Y. – Rombauer was a sight for Michael McCarthy’s bleary eyes Monday morning as the trainer, after taking a red-eye flight from Southern California to New York, watched the colt train for the first time since his Preakness victory on May 15.

Rombauer, who arrived at Belmont Park on May 17, had an easy 1 3/8-mile gallop over the main track on Monday as he prepares for a start in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 5. It was Rombauer’s first day on the main track after jogging and galloping last week over the training track.

At Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed early Monday that Preakness runner-up Midnight Bourbon will not run in the Belmont.

“I just wanted to freshen him up a little bit,” said Asmussen. “It’ll probably be a couple more weeks before he works back. We’ll either target the Jim Dandy or Haskell with no race in between.”

John Velazquez has been chosen by trainer Michael McCarthy and owners John and Diane Fradkin to ride Preakness winner Rombauer in the Belmont Stakes on June 5, McCarthy said Saturday night.

Flavien Prat rode Rombauer to his upset victory in the Preakness on May 15, but he is sticking with Hot Rod Charlie - whom Prat rode to a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby in his last start - in the Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Rebel’s Romance, the UAE Derby winner, had his second timed workout in four days, going five furlongs in 1:01.05 over the Belmont Park main track just after 5:30 a.m.

Belmont Park clockers had his final quarter in 24 seconds as Rebel’s Romance followed, but did not catch, his stablemate Desert Peace, who began the move two lengths in front and remained close to that margin in front at the finish, according to the clockers. Rebel’s Romance went out six furlongs in 1:14 and seven furlongs in 1:27.40.

In the right way, Rock Your World has been a “boring” colt the last few weeks at Santa Anita.

The winner of the Santa Anita Derby on April 3, Rock Your World finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1, encountering early trouble in the race. Rock Your World was not considered for the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 15 but is expected to start in the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on June 5.

Rock Your World rebounded quickly from the loss at Churchill Downs and has been in steady training this month.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Known Agenda came out of his ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby so well that trainer Todd Pletcher briefly flirted with the idea of wheeling him back in two weeks in the Preakness Stakes.

“In light of the way the track was playing it probably wouldn’t have been the right set up for him,” Pletcher said. “But physically he’s done very well since the Derby.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – What if you had the Kentucky Derby winner in your barn and didn’t even know it?

“It’s so odd that it doesn’t even sound right,” said Brad Cox.

While everyone waits for the Medina Spirit controversy to play itself out, Cox is going about everyday business at Churchill Downs with Mandaloun, the 2021 Derby runner-up who would become the official winner if Medina Spirit ultimately is disqualified for a positive post-race test for a banned raceday medication. There’s still no established timetable as to when that might happen.

Flavien Prat is a man in demand. He won the Preakness aboard Rombauer, but he also rides Hot Rod Charlie, who crossed the wire third in the Kentucky Derby, and there is the strong likelihood he will be on Hot Rod Charlie if, as currently planned, both go in the Belmont Stakes on June 5.

“We have Prat. Grateful to have him,” said Doug O’Neill, who trains Hot Rod Charlie.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be barred from entering and stabling horses at New York Racing Association tracks indefinitely, the company announced Monday afternoon.

The length of NYRA’s ban will be determined by additional information that comes out of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s investigation into the positive test of Medina Spirit after he finished first in the Kentucky Derby on May 1, according to a press release issued by NYRA on Monday afternoon.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Rombauer, the Preakness winner, arrived just before 10 a.m. Monday at Belmont Park where he will soon begin preparations for an expected start in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 5.

Whereas Rombauer defeated nine opponents in the Preakness – three of whom had run in the Kentucky Derby – he could face a significantly larger field in the Belmont, including a bevy of horses who ran in the Derby but skipped the Preakness.