Belmont Stakes Preview (June 1st): Less than a week to go

Saturday, June 7th is the big day, and below are some notes on the probable 2008 Belmont Stakes participants (in alphabetical order)…

Anak Nakal: Nick Zito won the 2004 Belmont Stakes with Birdstone, foiling the Triple Crown bid of Smarty Jones in the process. This one is out of Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop. He was a quality two-year-old last year but has failed to develop in four below par graded starts this season. He was 7th of 20 in the Derby. He shows a pair of recent Saratoga training track works, a 4f move in :49.89 (breezing) on May 18th, and another 4f drill in :48.68 (handily) on May 25th.

Big Brown: Continues to gallop regularly after missing a few days due to a quarter crack in his left front hoof. A fiberglass patch is expected to be applied to his affected hoof on June 2nd, and a breeze is planned the following day.

Casino Drive: Undefeated (2-2) colt was last seen romping in Belmont’s Peter Pan. Dam Better Than Honour has produced the last two Belmont Stakes winners (Jazil, Rags To Riches). He was supposed to work in company with stablemate Spark Candle earlier this week, but his connections called an audible and let him canter a very slow 5f in 1:12.52, with a 1:25 6f gallop out. Note that the move was so slow that it did not make the official worktab. He did work in company with Spark Candle and Champagne Squall on June 1st, and the son of Mineshaft went past his mates in another slow move by US standards. His pilot Edgar Prado has won this race twice (Sarava, Birdstone), and he spoiled Triple Crown bids both times.

Da’Tara: The Nick Zito trainee is a late addition to the Belmont Stakes field. His most recent work was a four-furlong (:49.67) move over Saratoga’s training track on May 29th. The son of Tiznow is eligible for an entry level spot, and he was last seen finishing 2nd in the Barbaro Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard.

Denis of Cork: Came from 20th to land the show in the Kentucky Derby. He was training well in advance of the Derby, but his good finish was still a surprise given his interesting race choices leading up to the 1st Saturday in May. Two solid 5f Churchill moves have him ready to go, and he is expected to have one final Kentucky breeze before heading to New York early next week.

Icabad Crane: Put in a fine performance (3rd) in the Preakness, and he could have been 2nd with a cleaner trip. Graham Motion can have some fun with this one if properly spotted. Don’t know if he can come back with another big effort on June 7th.

Macho Again: This will be his 3rd race in the last six weeks, and a regression is a real possibility in the grueling Test of Champions. Preakness runner-up breezed 4f in :48.20 at Churchill on May 30th.

Ready’s Echo: The Peter Pan show finisher worked 5f in 1:00.91 (in company w/The Roundhouse) on June 1st, and the Pletcher trainee has been declared fit and ready to go on June 7th. No rider has been named at this stage.

Spark Candle: Casino Drive’s mate will not go in the Belmont Stakes. Instead, he is expected to run in the grassy Hill Prince at Belmont on June 6th, and Edgar Prado will ride.

Tale of Ekati: Barclay Tagg is a refreshing change from the endless couldn’t be doing any better dribble that we always hear from connections in big races. His charge turned in a pedestrian 6f work in 1:18.97, and he did not try to sugarcoat the ugly move. He was pissed at Eibar Coa and let everyone know it. The two-time graded winner came back with a much better move on June 1st, breezing 6f (1:11.99) in the Belmont mud, and Tagg was reportedly in good spirits following his latest drill. He is 2-2 at Belmont and will be ridden by the aforementioned Coa.

Tomcito: The longshot has been removed from Belmont Stakes consideration by his connections due to congestion. Note that he recently underwent throat surgery.

Photo Credit: Newscom