LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bob Baffert’s work is mostly done. The Hall of Fame trainer sent out Triple Crown hopeful Justify for the colt’s final pre-race breeze Monday morning at Churchill Downs and now will look to jockey Mike Smith and the racing gods to see what awaits Saturday in the 150th Belmont Stakes.
“If it’s meant to be, it’s going to happen,” Baffert told a media throng after Justify went five furlongs in 1:01.40. “Right now, all we can do is prepare.”
ELMONT, N.Y. - That Hofburg will compete in two legs of the Triple Crown is more a function of the horse than his trainer.
Having not made his 3-year-old debut until March 3, Hofburg was considered more of a summertime 3-year-old than a spring classic campaigner by his Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The morning before Triple Crown hopeful Justify is scheduled to have his final workout in preparation for the Belmont Stakes, it was a projected Belmont longshot, Free Drop Billy, that tuned up Sunday at Churchill Downs with a five-furlong breeze in 59 1/5 seconds.
Traveling over a freshly harrowed track that produced fast times, he went quickly early, covering his first quarter mile in 23 seconds before slowing his pace somewhat with a 36 1/5 split over his final three furlongs. He was timed galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5 by Churchill Downs clockers.
Belmont Park
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Weather: Cloudy
Track: Fast
Temperature: 72
ELMONT, N.Y. – With only four of the dozen or so prospective Belmont Stakes starters training on the grounds at the present time, it’s become a happening of sorts this past week when any of the quartet are sent out for a serious work.
ELMONT, N.Y. _ Blended Citizen will be the only one of the expected 11 or 12 starters in the Belmont Stakes with a previous start over the Belmont Park main track. On Saturday, he became the fourth - and probably final - prospective Belmont starter to get a workout over the main track as well.
Blended Citizen, who won the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes here three weeks ago, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.88, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. Blended Citizen, with Mike Luzzi aboard, worked at 12:50 p.m., 40 minutes before the first race on the Belmont card.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Gronkowski passed the audition.
After his second solid workout in a week, the European import was confirmed by trainer Chad Brown as a starter for next Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.
Gronkowski, with Jose Ortiz up, worked inside of Engage, who is pointing to the Grade 2 Woody Stephens, for the second straight week. Gronkowski broke off about three-quarters of a length in front and led Engage through an opening quarter in 25.90 seconds as the two drew on even terms.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On a Saturday morning at Churchill Downs when Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify had a maintenance training day with a gallop, one of his rivals for next Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, Tenfold, got a little more serious, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.60 over a fast track.
Belmont Park
Friday, June 1
Weather: Rain
Training track: Good/muddy
Temperature: 68
ELMONT, N.Y. – Unfortunately, there will be no Audible in the starting lineup for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. But there certainly were plenty of weather- and track-related audibles being called around Belmont Park on Friday when it came to the workout schedules for three of the principal players in the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown.
ELMONT, N.Y. – For as much success as trainer Todd Pletcher has had in the Belmont Stakes – three wins and five seconds from 14 runnings – he understands that the degree of difficulty might be at its highest when he sends out Vino Rosso and Noble Indy against the undefeated Justify in next Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.
“For all of us, we need Justify to wake up on the wrong side of the bed to have a chance,” Pletcher said, referring to the unbeaten 3-year-old attempting to win the Triple Crown.
Less than a decade after he was a classic winner himself, Lookin At Lucky hopes to get lucky in next week’s Belmont Stakes as the broodmare sire of the enigmatic Gronkowski – and is looking ahead to a big summer after closing May with a bang.
