ELMONT, N.Y. – The defection of Maxfield from the Triple Crown trail has prompted the connections of at least one significant 3-year-old to change plans.

Gouverneur Morris, second to Maxfield in last October’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, will bypass the Belmont Stakes on June 20 and instead point to the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes on July 11 at Keeneland.

“That race is now winnable, and we think it would pick that horse’s head up to have a win,” said Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor International, which co-owns Gouverneur Morrs with WinStar Farm.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The defections of undefeated Grade 1 winners Charlatan and Maxfield from the June 20 Belmont Stakes had little impact on trainer Barclay Tagg, trainer of two-time Grade 1 winner and now incontrovertible Belmont Stakes favorite Tiz the Law.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Brendan Walsh said Monday that Maxfield will skip the Belmont Stakes to wait instead for the Blue Grass Stakes on July 11 at Keeneland, the colt’s home base.

Maxfield, a Godolphin homebred undefeated in three starts, figured no worse than second choice behind Tiz the Law in the June 20 Belmont and is widely considered one of the three favorites for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, along with Tiz the Law and Honor A. P. His defection figures to leave Tiz the Law a heavy Belmont favorite.

ELMONT, N.Y. – A new and serious player for the $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 20 may have emerged Thursday when Tap It to Win rolled to a five-length victory in a first-level allowance race at Belmont Park.

Tap It to Win ran 1 1/16 miles in a fast time of 1:39.76, which was just .54 off the Belmont Park track record of 1:39.22 set by Transparent in 2014. Tap It to Win was assigned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Max Player, the Grade 3 Withers winner, put in a sharp workout Wednesday morning over the Belmont Park main track going five furlongs in 1:00.85 and proceeded to gallop out six furlongs in 1:12.38 in preparation for the Belmont Stakes on June 20.

Working by himself, Max Player went his opening eighth in 13.13 seconds, the quarter in 25.49, and got his last three furlongs in 35.36 while working a furlong past the wire.

It was Max Player’s first workout over the main track after breezing primarily over the Belmont training track.

With the Belmont Stakes on June 20 an option for his next start, Pneumatic – third most recently in the Matt Winn Stakes – has been nominated to the Triple Crown, trainer Steve Asmussen said.

Pneumatic was not an original nominee to the Triple Crown for $600 back in January because he was not going to be ready for the original dates of the Triple Crown, Asmussen said. But with the postponement of all three races, Pneumatic was made eligible for $3,000 by the second deadline Wednesday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A decision on whether Maxfield will run in the Belmont Stakes likely will come “in the latter half of this week,” trainer Brendan Walsh said Monday.

Maxfield, a Godolphin homebred, remained undefeated in three career starts by winning his 3-year-old debut in the May 23 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs in an effort that likely would make him one of the favorites in the June 20 Belmont. However, Walsh said he and the Godolphin team are proceeding methodically with Maxfield, who resumed training May 27 at Keeneland.

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s trio of expected Belmont Stakes horses all put in workouts Friday morning at Palm Beach Downs, with Dr Post looking particularly impressive in his drill, which is posted on XBTV.com. The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 at 1 1/8 miles.

Charlatan, winner of the first division of the Arkansas Derby in his stakes debut May 2, had an initial test sample come back positive for an undisclosed medication, multiple sources told Daily Racing Form. If confirmed by a second test, it could result in his disqualification.

Charlatan was a front-running winner of the Arkansas Derby, his third win in three starts. The Arkansas Derby was run on Oaklawn Park’s closing day after being postponed from its original date of April 11.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The pressing question will linger for the next few days, if not longer. Will Maxfield run next in the Belmont Stakes or forgo a Triple Crown chance by waiting for something like the Blue Grass Stakes?

This newest dilemma for Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh has surfaced in the aftermath of Maxfield winning the Matt Winn on Saturday at Churchill Downs. The Street Sense colt stayed unbeaten in three starts with a strong stretch run, earning a 95 Beyer Speed Figure and furthering his stature amid the elite of the 3-year-old class.