Belmont Stakes Preview

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Belmont Stakes Preview

As expected, Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Mine That Bird has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in a field of 10 for the 141st running of the Belmont Stakes this Saturday at beautiful Belmont Park.

An anonymous longshot coming into this years? Run for the Roses, Mine That Bird thrust himself into the national spotlight with an equally awesome and surprising last-to-first, rail skimming move to win the Derby by a widening 6 ? lengths under jockey Calvin Borel.

In the Preakness, trainer Chip Woolley was forced to find a new rider for his little gelding after Borel, in an unprecedented move, opted to ride Kentucky Oaks winning superfilly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, marking the first time a rider took off the Derby winner to ride a different horse in the second jewel of the Triple Crown.





Under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Mine That Bird put in another explosive late rally in the Preakness but fell a length short of Rachel Alexandra and Borel, who won the Preakness in gate-to-wire fashion.

After the Preakness, Smith announced he wouldn?t ride Mine That Bird in the Belmont due to a prior riding commitment in California leaving Mine That Bird without a rider again. But after the connections of Rachel Alexandra announced she wouldn?t contest the 1 ? mile ?Test of the Champion,? a confident Borel finds himself back aboard the Derby winner.

?We?re going to win,? Borel guaranteed earlier this week. ?No questions asked.?

Woolley, who has become a celebrity in his own right over the past few months, with his customary cowboy hat and crutches he needs to get around with after breaking his leg in a motorcycle accident earlier this year, has changed things up a bit going into the Belmont. First, he has decided not to give Mine That Bird a workout over the Belmont strip, known as ?Big Sandy.? Secondly, Mine That Bird actually flew into New York from Churchill Downs on Wednesday as opposed to taking his usual van ride with Woolley at the wheel. Still, he?s confident in his horses? chances and loves the enthusiasm exuded by his rider.

?That?s just Calvin. I?m fine with that,? Woolley said at the Belmont Stakes draw Wednesday morning. ?I love a man who?s confident and he?ll be comfortable when he gets on the horse, because he won?t be afraid.?

One thing Borel and Woolley surely do have to be afraid of is the apparent lack of pace in the Belmont and the fact that second choice Charitable Man figures to be the one that will control the early happenings may not bode well for the Derby winner as well. Undefeated in three starts on dirt, Charitable Man won the first two starts of his career before being sidelined with a leg injury that forced him to miss the Derby despite last ditch efforts when he was off the board in his first start of the year in the Blue Grass at Keeneland over a synthetic surface. In his most recent start, Charitable Man, who?ll be ridden again by Alan Garcia, won the Peter Pan, the traditional New York prep for the Belmont by almost four lengths.

While formidable on paper, perhaps the most telling sign of how well Charitable Man is doing is by the words of his trainer Kiaran McLaughlin over the past few days. Usually soft-spoken, McLaughlin has been just as excited, and almost as boisterous as Borel in the days leading up to the Belmont.

?Our horse couldn?t be doing any better,? McLaughlin said. ?We?re very excited. I wouldn?t trade places with anyone.?

Another trainer who is more than pleased with how his horse is coming into the Belmont is Todd Pletcher who?ll saddle the highly regarded Dunkirk on Saturday. After breaking his maiden and winning an entry level allowance contest in his first two starts by daylight, Dunkirk was a game second in the Florida Derby over a speed favoring course that severely hampered his chances of winning.

His Kentucky Derby try was a series of calamities. He stumbled out of the starting gate, was steadied into the first turn and never handled the cuppy, muddy Churchill Downs surface that day. Since the Derby, he?s trained brilliantly at Belmont over the past couple of weeks, a sure sign that the $3.7 million yearling purchase is poised to run well this Saturday.

?That?s not really my style, but it shows how talented he is,? Pletcher said, in regards to the fast times Dunkirk has posted in the morning works.

It?s worth noting that Pletcher and Velazquez, along with part owner Michael Tabor teamed up to win a thrilling 2007 renewal of the Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches, who defeated the sports eventual all-time leading money earner Curlin.

Trainer Nick Zito is another who is familiar with winning the Belmont and toppling Derby winners. In 2004, the Zito trained Birdstone, sire of Mine That Bird, ran down the undefeated Smarty Jones, stopping his bid to become the twelfth Triple Crown winner and just last year sent out Da? Tara who went wire-to-wire as 2-5 favorite Big Brown was eased in the stretch in his bid for a Triple Crown.

This year, Zito sends out a pair of longshots in Miner?s Escape, winner of the Federico Tesio at Pimlico last out who might have a say in the early going and stablemate Brave Victory who was a hard charging third in the Peter Pan despite the fact that jockey Rajiv Maragh lost his whip in the stretch. Both colts are owned by Bob LaPenta who also owns Da? Tara. Maragh returns aboard Brave Victory while Jose Lezcano will be back aboard Miner?s Escape.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will look to join the great Woody Stephens, who won five Belmont Stakes in his career, when he sends out a pair of longshots in Flying Private and Luv Gov. The former finished last in the Derby before closing well to be fourth in the Preakness despite encountering some trouble on the far turn while the latter has won just one of his eleven starts and is better known for being named after disgraced former New York governor Elliott Spitzer. Julien Leparoux rides Flying Private while Miguel Mena will pilot Luv Gov.

The Belmont field is rounded out by three Kentucky Derby also rans. Chocolate Candy was fifth in the Derby for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and will get the services of Garrett Gomez in the Belmont. Sixth place Derby finisher Summer Bird will get blinkers and a key rider switch to Kent Desormeaux for trainer Tim Ice while the Eoin Harty trained Mr. Hot Stuff, fifteenth in Louisville, will get Edgar Prado in the saddle for the first time. Prado won the 2002 Belmont aboard Sarava, the longest priced winner in the history of the race at $142.50 and was also aboard Birdstone in 2004

 

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Belmont Analysis

Belmont Analysis

Belmont Analysis

The Gold Sheet

We won't be at Belmont Park on Saturday, and for that we're a little sad. Never mind that a Triple Crown isn't on the line for this year's renewal of the Belmont Stakes, and the crowd will likely be about half of what I have experienced in my most recent visits to the track. It's still the Belmont, and if they can call the Kentucky Derby the most exciting 2 minutes in sports, they can call the Belmont the most exciting two-and-a-half minutes in sports.





Moreover, we like the whole scene at Belmont Park on Belmont day. Unlike the Kentucky Derby, where average race fans have almost no chance to show up on Derby Day at Churchill Downs and actually see the race, or the Preakness, where getting a view of the Preakness is almost impossible unless you can squeeze into the apron or get one of those hard-to-find seats in the grandstand, the Belmont really is a people's event. Anyone can attend, no reservations required (although they're suggested if you actually want a seat in the expansive grandstand).

Belmont's grand size has something to do with it. The big track can easily accommodate crowds over 100,000 without having to funnel fans into the infield (indeed, there is no infield seating, or standing, at Belmont). Moreover, when we say anyone can show up and see the race, we mean it; very affordable grandstand ticket sales the day of the race actually get patrons onto the apron, where if they can find a spot or otherwise crane their necks, they can watch the Belmont unfold right in front of their eyes. By spending a few more bucks, any fan can get into the Club House on Belmont Day and get a view closer to the finish line in a bit more comfy (but still crowded) surroundings. Showing up on race day for the Derby or Preakness might allow a fan to get on to the grounds, but not out to the apron to actually watch the race.

And though some have romanticized about the "infield experience" at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, we have long felt that spectacle is overrated; it often regresses into one more reminiscent of NASCAR events than a horse race, which is one reason Pimlico didn't allow patrons to being in their own beer for the recent Preakness. But we don't have to worry about that at Belmont, because the infield retains its dignity (meaning no patrons) at all times.

Moreover, transportation to the track is a snap via the Long Island Railroad; there's no reason to brave the Long Island Expressway with your car. Trains drop you off right at Belmont Park's own station, and plenty of extra trains are running from Penn Station on Belmont day. In the past, that's been the way to go on our trips up from Washington and Philadelphia; we'll just leave our car at the Metropark station off the Garden State Parkway, take an NJ Transit train into Manhattan, then switch to the LIRR at Penn Station. Convenient, somewhat comfortable, and without the sort of massive headaches associated with parking in Louisville for Derby Day, or in Baltimore for the Preakness, especially since there's no significant parking available at Pimlico even on a day without a big crowd.

Belmont Park, however, is almost palatial, a racing facility that wreaks of elegance and grandeur. When reconstruction was finished in 1968, Belmont Park became a real jewel in the horse racing world, and it still is today. It's also probably the last "mega-track" we'll see built in our lifetimes; facilities built since, such as the Texas tracks in Dallas-Fort Worth (Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie) and Houston (Sam Houston Park), have no use for such expansive grandstand seating. Indeed, the "new Belmont" (although even it is now 41 years old) will probably live on as the last great race track built in the States for a long, long time.

We remember plenty of exciting Belmonts where no Triple Crown was at stake, although we have to admit that there is something special about being out on Long Island when there's a chance a horse can complete the trick. We've been there for the last three tries (Funny Cide in 2003, Smarty Jones in '04, and Big Brown last year), and can say that the excitement and anticipation before those races exceeded that of any other sports events we've seen in person during our lifetime, including Super Bowls, Rose Bowls, and various other championship games.

The New York flavor permeates the track; we recall getting a kick out of seeing the Giants' Michael Strahan mingling with the masses on Smarty Jones' try at the Crown in 2004, and noticed how Jimmy Fallon was enjoying himself tremendously when hanging out with the crowd at last year's renewal. And who couldn't notice Bo Derek as she watched Big Brown try to win the Triple Crown last year, either. Other prominent New Yorkers make sure to be in attendance as well. In fact, we've been so enthralled by our Belmont experiences that when we are asked what are the top sports events someone should see in their lifetime, the Belmont, when a Triple Crown is at stake, now tops our list.

Indeed, the drama and allure of the Belmont is probably best exemplified not when the Secretariats and Seattle Slews and Affirmeds won the Triple Crown, but rather when all of the great horses have tried and failed. Follow along.

In the 40-odd years that I've been following the sport, I've seen 19 horses try to win the Triple Crown. Only three of them, in a 5-year span in the mid '70s (Secretariat in '73, Seattle Slew in '77, Affirmed in '78), turned the trick. Almost all of those who came into the Belmont looked a good bet to win, just as Big Brown did last year.

Including Spectacular Bid.

Veteran racegoers all roll their eyes when the name Spectacular Bid pops up. This was a magnificent thoroughbred. Ask a lot of knowledgeable railbirds about who was the better horse between the Bid and Secretariat, and you'd be surprised at how many would opt for the Bid.

But he couldn't win the Belmont.

The year was 1979, and for all the world it looked as if we were going to have back-to-back-to-back Triple Crown winners. Seattle Slew was unbeaten when he turned the trick two years earlier, and Affirmed had proven, if nothing else, that he was as gallant as any thoroughbred champ when he outdueled Alydar in all three legs the year before. Neither, however, looked like Spectacular Bid when winning the first two legs of Crown. The Bid, dominant at the Derby and Preakness, would go off at 1/5 in New York, shorter odds than the early posted numbers on Big Brown last year or any of the other Triple Crown hopefuls in recent Belmonts.

The Bid was Dr. Fager-like good, one of those etched indelibly in the minds of any racing enthusiast who ever saw him run. And he looked like he would put the Belmont into his satchel, too, especially turning for home 30 years ago, leading the field. But that final eighth can be a bear, and the Bid, who, like any three-year-old at this stage had never had to run this mile-and-a-half distance, began to waver. Jockey Ronnie Franklin hit the accelerator a bit too soon on the Bid, down the backstretch, and even though he looked clear at the top of the stretch, Franklin had asked for too much, too soon. Suddenly, William Haggin Perry's colt, Coastal, rolled up on the outside, and, to the astonishment of the crowd, went past the Bid in the final sixteenth. Coastal won; the Bid faded to third.

Had there never been a horse named "Upset" to deal Man 'o War his only loss, we might have instead had the word "coastal" instead of "upset" referring to that surprise-defeat term. But indeed, Spectacular Bid had lost. And though trainer Bud Delp lamented at the time that the Bid had stepped on a pin that morning and hurt his foot, most racegoers chalked that down to sour grapes on Delp's part. In the Belmont, The Bid had looked very much like a champ for 1 1/4 miles, 1 3/8 miles, even 1 7/16...but not at a mile-and-a-half.

The pin didn't beat Spectacular Bid. The Belmont did.

Like it has for a lot of great horses over the past 40-odd years. It has now been 31 years since Steve Cauthen and Affirmed fought off Alydar in the stretch to win the '78 Belmont and become the last Triple Crown winner, and when the late, great race caller Chick Anderson, in his last Belmont, told viewers that "We'll test these two to the wire!" But in that span (since 1964), as mentioned above, 19 horses have won the first two legs of the Crown. Sixteen of those, including some truly great runners, have failed. We can remember back to 1964, when the great Canadian champ, Northern Dancer, destined to become the sire of all sires, won the first two legs, seeing off the classy Hill Rise in a grueling Kentucky Derby, then winning more handily at the Preakness. On to the Belmont Stakes, which, for a short span between 1963-67, was run at nearby Aqueduct, while the Belmont facility was rebuilt. An odd sight it was, those Belmonts at Aqueduct, where the race started at the head of the far turn at that 1 1/8-mile oval. And Northern Dancer, under Bill Hartack, was looking awfully good for a mile and-a-quarter in that '64 Belmont, and seemed poised at the head of the stretch to add the final leg of the Crown to his collection. But Hartack could not find another gear, where Roman Brother and eventual winner Quadrangle could.

It was much the same two years later, when Kauai King, a Native Dancer colt under the savvy Don Brumfield, won the first two legs and was ready to become the first since Citation in '48 to win the Crown. Amberoid, however, had other plans that afternoon at Aqueduct, and we would have to wait a bit longer for another Triple Crown winner.

Racing aficionados still cringe at what might have been when the Belmont Stakes returned to the refurbished and rebuilt Belmont Park in 1968...an asterisk Triple Crown winner! That's because Calumet's Forward Pass had been "awarded" the Kentucky Derby win two days after finishing second in Louisville when Dancer's Image (another Native Dancer colt) had been disqualified after traces of bute were found in his post-race urine sample.

That controversy was one of the biggest in sports in a very controversial year. The bute, reportedly administered by legendary Churchill Downs track vet Dr. Alex Harthill the week before the race, should have flushed out of the Dancer's system in the intervening 152 hours (long before, in fact), but traces were found in the post-race sample. (Bute was legal at most North American tracks in '68, and had been legal the year before and year after in Kentucky, but not '68). Eventually, it took several trips through the courts before the fiasco was settled years later, and Forward Pass' name stayed in the record books as the "official" winner. Insiders have since told us that track officials were going to overlook the test and resultant controversy until Wathen Knebelkamp, then Churchill Downs' president, quickly went to the press with the news. The two weeks until the Preakness became quite a media circus, with Forward Pass now the winner (although it wouldn't become official for years and several trips to the courts).

As it was, the big, powerful Calumet charge went into Baltimore as the Derby winner, then romped home in the Preakness in Big Brown-like fashion, and the thought of the asterisk Triple Crown winner became very real. It was then off to Belmont Park, where the newly-refurbished, palatial facility welcomed back the Belmont Stakes that June 1. And for an awfully long time it looked like Forward Pass was in position to win, leading into mid-stretch, before local favorite Stage Door Johnny, under Heliodoro Gustines, found another gear and had just enough time to make a late charge, collaring Forward Pass in the last sixteenth and winning by less than a length. Racing enthusiasts sighed in relief, as there would indeed be no asterisk Triple Crown winner. But we still hadn't had a Crown winner since 1948.





Enter 1969, and that all seemed to change with Majestic Prince, under the irascible Hartack and trained by the legendary ex-jockey Johnny Longden (who won the Triple Crown in '43 with Count Fleet). Majestic Prince, for a time, was Secretariat before Secretariat. He was aptly-named and certainly looked the part of a Triple Crown winner, a big chestnut who prepped in California, and, undefeated, saw off the talented Arts & Letters in bruising Derby and Preakness stretch drives. This would be the one to win the Crown, or so many thought until Longden announced that he didn't want the Prince to run in the Belmont. He didn't like the way he came out of the Preakness, and thought the mile and a half was too much for the colt. Canadian owner Frank McMahon had other ideas, however; the Prince would run in New York.

But "The Pumper" proved prophetic. For a time, many blamed Hartack for the Prince's Belmont failure, allowing the pace to unfold snail-like 26 first quarter!) instead of dictating the pace in a race that was there for him to take on a silver platter. Instead, it set up perfectly for Arts & Letters, under Braulio Baeza, to win handily.

Longden was right; the Prince wasn't ready for the Belmont. He was injured in the race and never ran again. The Belmont had claimed another would-be Triple Crown winner.

Except for that brief patch in the mid '70s, far more Belmont Triple Crown failures than successes ensued in the next 39 years. South American Canonero II was the rage after romping in the Derby and Preakness in 1971. But he came a cropper in the Belmont, failing to fire at the top of the stretch while a longshot named Pass Catcher ran away and eventually held off the charging Jim French at the wire. A classy Pleasant Colony looked the part of a Crown winner in 1981, but finished 3rd to Summing in his try at the Belmont. Alysheba took his stab in 1987, but was outrun by Bet Twice and two others in New York. And then there was Sunday Silence, who had an Affirmed-Alydar type duel going with Easy Goer in '89 after narrowly winning the first two legs of the Crown. Only Sunday Silence wasn't Affirmed-like in the Belmont, Easy Goer romping home.

The last eleven years have seen seven horses fail to win the Belmont after clearing the first two Triple Crown hurdles. The great Silver Charm, owned by Bob Bev Lewis and ridden by Gary Stevens, looked worthy-enough in '97, and, after finally putting away nemesis Free House in deep stretch in New York, looked like a Crown winner. Except that the wily Chris McCarron had wheeled Touch Gold on the far outside, out of Silver Charm's view, and slipped past the grey horse to win narrowly in the last 50 yards.

That was little drama compared to 1998, however, when Mike Pegram's Real Quiet, trained by Bob Baffert, after impressive wins vs. good fields at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, was suddenly three lengths clear mid-stretch at the Belmont, cruising home, seemingly, under a giddy Kent Desormeaux. Only that Stevens would get his Belmont revenge, thrown back in the saddle by a violent stretch charge from his mount, Victory Gallop, who nailed Real Quiet at the wire. It was as close as a horse could come to winning the Crown, and not getting it. Would we ever see another Crown winner, some had to wonder?

Forward to 1999, when another Lewis horse, Charismatic, looked ready to nail the Crown after winning the first two legs. The Belmont proved too much, however, and the valiant colt faded late, broke down, and lost to Lemon Drop Kid. More of the same frustration a few years later, as first War Emblem, looking every bit Smarty Jones-like in winning the Derby and Preakness in '02, failed badly at the Belmont, a distant 8th behind winner Sarava. In 2003, New York was a dither with home-state bred gelding Funny CIde on the cusp of the Triple Crown, looking awfully hard to beat, too, after his Preakness win. But Empire Maker and Ten Most Wanted wore down Jose Santos' mount in the stretch.

Then, Smarty Jones appeared a near shoe-in the next year in '04, with his contingent of vocal supporters having made the short trip up I-95 from Philadelphia and the rest of the Delaware Valley to cheer him on. But Smarty Jones found that last eighth of a mile a furlong too far. Birdstone, with Edgar Prado up, collared Smarty in the stretch. Again, we would have to wait, and after Big Brown's failure last June, the drought between Triple Crown winners had reached an all-time dry patch. Indeed, after Funny Cide failed in 2003, we exceeded the gap of 25 years between Citation (in '48) and Secretariat. This year marks 31 years since Affirmed fought off Alydar and last turned the trick.

A reminder of how difficult it really is to win the Triple Crown is how many other great horses have tried and failed at the Belmont. Rare is the year when everything goes right for a horse in the Triple Crown quest, as it did for Secretariat in '73. That year, Secretariat had no real serious, Arts & Letters, Alydar, or Easy Goer-like challengers. The tracks rolled their surfaces hard in hopes of record-breaking runs. And the weather came up good for Secretariat, too, unlike stable-mate Riva Ridge the previous year (whose Crown bid ended at a muddy Preakness vs. longshot Bee Bee Bee), or the great Damascus in '67, whose Derby was ruined by an off-track (and a loss to Proud Clarion).

Remember, a lot of big names have only won two legs of the crown, 46 of them, in fact, compared to just 11 who pulled the hat-trick and won all three. Besides Damascus and Riva Ridge, other equine notables like Native Dancer, Nashua, and even Man O'War (who didn't run in the Derby), and dozens of others, only won two legs of the Triple Crown.

We're not sure what is going to happen Saturday at Belmont Park, although we'd have to say that we'd be surprised if Mine That Bird can't duplicate his Kentucky Derby triumph, especially with good luck charm Calvin Borel back on board. Most of the challengers from the Derby and Preakness, including Rachel Alexandra, will bypass the Belmont, although the ranks of first-time Triple Crown starters who won the Belmont is a long one, including last year's upset winner Da'Tara. Whatever, we'll be watching.

But the memories of Quadrangle, Amberoid, Stage Door Johnny, Pass Catcher, Coastal, Touch Gold, etc. from past Belmonts are still too fresh in our minds to concede anything to any favorite at the Belmont, many of those who looked better than Mine That Bird does entering this Saturday's classic.

Like Spectacular Bid.

 

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Mine That Bird: long shot to favorite

Mine That Bird: long shot to favorite

Mine That Bird: long shot to favorite



NEW YORK (AP) -In the days leading to the Kentucky Derby, just about everybody ignored the little gelding tucked away in his stall at Churchill Downs.





Mine That Bird, a latecomer to the Derby field, had recently arrived in Louisville after a 19-hour trailer ride from New Mexico, his trainer Chip Woolley doing the driving despite a broken right leg fused with a metal plate and 12 screws.

This was not big news, though, not with top 3-year-olds such as I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile, Friesan Fire and Dunkirk receiving all the attention.

A lot has changed in five weeks: Mine That Bird won the Derby by an astonishing 6 3/4 lengths at 50-1 odds, came up a length short of the filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness and now is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

From long shot to people's choice, Mine That Bird has become one of racing's most popular racehorses, topped only by the sensational filly who won't be running the final leg of the Triple Crown.

When Woolley led Mine That Bird off a van and toward his barn at Belmont Park the other day, there were about 50 media members there to record every step.

``This is a lot different than when we arrived at Churchill Downs,'' Woolley said. ``Nobody even came to see me for the first week.''

Two days before Mine That Bird tries to win the 1 1/2-mile Belmont and make Calvin Borel the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on different horses, Woolley was asked if he ever thought he'd be in the national spotlight after a 25 years of training horses.

``It absolutely never crossed my mind,'' he said Thursday. ``It was a major surprise.''

Starting with the Derby.

Mine That Bird came into the race 0-for-2 at Sunland Park in New Mexico after earning the 2-year-old championship in Canada, then finishing 12th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

A son of 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone, Mine That Bird was dismissed as the 17th choice in the 19-horse Derby field. Even Tom Durkin, who called the race on national television, was late in spotting him along the rail.

``The only person more surprised than me winning the Derby seemed to be you,'' Woolley told Durkin at Wednesday's post-position draw. Durkin took the ribbing in stride, replying ``There are many times I wish I'd seen that race.''

Racing fans were still not convinced after the Derby. And when Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Kentucky Oaks by 20 1/4 lengths the day before the Derby, was purchased by Jess Jackson and entered in the Preakness, the filly and Borel took the star turns. The filly won the Preakness by a diminishing length over 6-1 third choice Mine That Bird, but the gelding proved his Derby win was no fluke.

A field of 10 is set for the Belmont, with Flying Private the only other horse to compete in the Derby and Preakness. The other Derby runners in the field are Chocolate Candy, Summer Bird, Dunkirk and Mr. Hot Stuff. The other Preakness runner is Luv Gov.

Charitable Man, the 3-1 second choice, and a pair of long shots trained by Nick Zito - Brave Victory and Miner's Escape - fill out the field.

Mike Watchmaker, the national handicapper for Daily Racing Form, had a simple explanation why Mine That Bird has become so popular.

``He won the Derby, ran huge in the Preakness and the Preakness winner is not here,'' he said.

Kiaran McLaughlin, who trains Charitable Man, was initially a skeptic just like everybody else.

``He happened to be in the same barn I was in at Churchill,'' McLaughlin said. ``And to be honest, with Charitable Man and Mine That Bird, you're looking at a magnificent animal as opposed to a small gelding that cost $9,500 as a yearling. But he's a runner and he's a gutsy little horse who tries hard and might have won the Preakness with a little cleaner trip.''

 

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Charitable Man poses big threat in Belmont

Charitable Man poses big threat in Belmont

Charitable Man poses big threat in Belmont



NEW YORK (AP) -Kiaran McLaughlin hopes Charitable Man isn't in a giving mood on Belmont Stakes day.





Perhaps the top challenger to 2-1 favorite Mine That Bird in Saturday's Belmont, Charitable Man is coming into the race fresh, fit and hopefully ready to hold off any kind of finishing kick the Derby winner comes up with.

If McLaughlin sounds confident, it's because he is.

``His father won the Belmont, he's 2-for-2 at Belmont, 3-for-3 on dirt,'' McLaughlin said. ``Do I need to keep going?''

After Calvin Borel heard what McLaughlin had said, the jockey who guaranteed his horse, Mine That Bird, will win replied, ``We'll see what happens.''

Borel, who won the Derby aboard Mine That Bird and the Preakness aboard Rachel Alexandra, is attempting to become the first jockey to win all three races on different horses.

While Borel will be riding in the Belmont for the first time, McLaughlin is familiar with the 1 1/2-mile ``Test of the Champion,'' the longest and most grueling race of them all. He's 1-for-1 in the final leg of the Triple Crown, winning the 2006 edition with Jazil, who rallied from seventh with a half mile to go for a 1 1/4-length win over Bluegrass Cat.

``I``m not trying to sound cocky or overconfident,'' McLaughlin said. ``All I'm saying is that we have a horse whose style fits this race. With a little luck Mine That Bird would be going for a Triple Crown, so I respect that horse and all the others in the field. But I have a quality horse.''

Mine That Bird arrived at Belmont Park on Wednesday, hours after he was made the favorite and drew the No. 7 post position. The gelding got his first look at the track on a rainy Thursday morning, galloping once around the huge oval.

``He gets over it so easy,'' trainer Chip Woolley said. ``That's what I was hoping for.''

Charitable Man is the 3-1 second choice and will line up just inside the Derby winner from the No. 6 post.

Alan Garcia, winner of the last year's Belmont aboard 38-1 shot Da' Tara, has the call on Charitable Man, who won the Peter Pan at Belmont on May 9 by rating just off the pace. The colt did not run in the Derby or Preakness.

A son of 1999 Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid, Charitable Man is owned by William K. Warren. The bay colt won both starts as a 2-year-old, including the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont in a field that included beaten Derby favorite Friesan Fire. However, he was sidelined with a cracked left shin and was out seven months. In his first race back, he ran seventh in the Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 11. McLaughlin blamed the synthetic surface.

The decision was made to skip the Triple Crown even though Charitable Man was healthy, and look toward the summer season and the Travers. But he ran so well in the Peter Pan that the Belmont seemed a natural next step. Looking back, McLaughlin still has second thoughts about passing on the Derby after Mine That Bird won at 50-1 odds.

``It's going to take a lot more to make me not run,'' he said, ``I want to run from now on because Charitable Man not only - he's a beautiful horse, he's a talented horse. If we ran back in three weeks you know he might have won the Kentucky Derby.''

Woolley says Charitable Man is ``a sheer monster'' who loves the track. Of course, the trainer likes his chances, too.

``The horse is doing super,'' he said, ``He's gotten stronger every day since the Preakness, and we're tickled with where he is right now.''

Also entered, from the rail out, are: Chocolate Candy (10-1), Dunkirk (4-1), Mr. Hot Stuff (15-1), Summer Bird (12-1), Luv Gov (20-1), Flying Private (12-1), Miner's Escape (15-1) and Brave Victory (15-1).

In the Belmont, Mine That Bird may be closer to the leaders because the early pace usually is not as fast as in shorter races.

``If we can just be within 10 or 12 lengths of them, I feel comfortable he'll have enough kick left,'' Woolley said.

Charitable Man isn't the only threat. Dunkirk, trying to rebound from an 11th-place finish in the Derby, will leave from the No. 2 post and be ridden for the first time by John Velazquez.

``I'm drawing a line through the Derby,'' the colt's trainer, Todd Pletcher, said. ``I never felt he ran to his capabilities.

A couple of Hall of Fame trainers will take their shots, too.

Nick Zito, who won the Belmont with Birdstone (Mine That Bird's sire) in 2004 and Da' Tara last year, will send out Brave Victory and Miner's Escape. Four-time Belmont winner D. Wayne Lukas has Flying Private and Luv Gov.

``I think we have some live long shots,'' Zito said. ``They may not be as good as the Mine That Birds or Charitable Mans, but they didn't have the rigors of the Triple Crown (prep) races leading up to the Derby. Who knows? Maybe lightning can strike twice.''

 

[Lumi]

The 'other' Bird also running on Saturday

The 'other' Bird also running on Saturday

The 'other' Bird also running on Saturday
June 4, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -There were two Birds in the Kentucky Derby.

Mind That Bird took the inside route, hugging the rail under a crafty ride by Calvin Borel to fly straight to the winner's circle. The other, Summer Bird, had an overland journey, hung out extremely wide while rallying past 10 horses to finish sixth.

The two sons of Birdstone meet again Saturday in the $1 million Belmont Stakes.

While Mind That Bird is the center of attention as the 2-1 favorite, Summer Bird is one of the outsiders at 12-1 on the morning line.

Mind That Bird went on to run second to the filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. Summer Bird sat that one out, waiting for the Belmont.

Summer Bird is the first Belmont starter for trainer Tim Ice, who believes his horse can build on the Derby experience.

``He was eight wide, the track was sloppy, a lot of things went against him and yet he was still running at the end,'' Ice said. ``We are here because we feel he is an improving horse. He has gotten stronger and he is a very smart, mature horse. We think he'll be tough if he gets to run his race.''

Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux will ride Summer Bird for the first time.

Both Birds will be trying to emulate their dad, who won the 2004 Belmont.

----

PLETCHER BELIEVES IN DUNKIRK: Todd Pletcher always had high expectations for Dunkirk.

The gray colt purchased for $3.7 million in 2007 has a chance to vindicate his trainer in the Belmont.

Dunkirk showed enough flashes of talent to be considered one of top contenders heading into the Kentucky Derby, sent off the 5-1 second choice in only his fourth race.

In the slop at Churchill Downs, Dunkirk got off to a poor start and finished 11th.

``I felt going into the Derby this is a very good horse,'' Pletcher said. ``At the beginning of the race, out of the gate, he stumbled. When he did get to the first turn, he got squeezed back and lost position. I felt he never ran to his capabilities.''

Pletcher elected to skip the Preakness and have Dunkirk wait for the Belmont. Pletcher stands by that decision.

``He is training very well,'' Pletcher said. ``He's put on some weight since the Derby. I stand by the fact he's a very high-quality horse.''

Dunkirk is the 4-1 third choice from post No. 2 in the 10-horse field. John Velazquez will ride Dunkirk for the first time.

Dunkirk, like Summer Bird, will try to follow a pattern that has worked well in recent years: run in the Derby, skip the Preakness and win the Belmont. That was the course taken by Commendable (2000), Empire Maker (2003), Birdstone (2004) and Jazil (2006).

The nation's top trainer from 2004-07, Pletcher got his lone Triple Crown victory in the 2007 Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches.

---

REMEMBERING RENE: Injured jockey Rene Douglas will be in the hearts and minds of the riders competing in the Belmont, who will join others across the country in a moment of tribute for Douglas and his fellow injured riders at approximately 4:15 p.m on Saturday.

Douglas went down in a spill May 23 at Arlington Park, suffering a spinal cord injury. He has not regained feeling in his legs. Douglas won the 1996 Belmont aboard Editor's Note.

As part of the tribute, all active riders are asked to contribute to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The New York Racing Association will donate $5,000 to the fund with Ron Turcotte, Triple Crown winner Secretariat's rider, accepting the gift in a winner's circle presentation.

Fans who wish to contribute can visit the fund's Web site www.pdjf.org for more information. Direct donations for Douglas' rehabilitation can be made to Citibank, 539 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611.

---

HIRSCH MEMORIAL: The public is invited to the Joe Hirsch tribute service Friday starting at 10:30 a.m. in Belmont's North Shore Terrace on the fourth floor of the clubhouse.

The dean of turf writers, Hirsch was the columnist for the ``Daily Racing Form'' for 50 years. He died Jan. 9 at age 80 following a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease.

---

BUSY BOREL: Defying tradition, Borel does not have a scheduled mount at Belmont Park this week prior to the Belmont.

Borel will try to pull off an unprecedented personal Triple Crown, winning all three legs of the series in one year on different horses. He was aboard Mine That Bird for the 50-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby before riding the filly Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Preakness.

With Rachel Alexandra not running in the Belmont, Borel hopped back on Mine That Bird.

Even though he is in town all week, Borel has no plans to ride prior to the Belmont. Many jockeys like to have acclimating races at tracks where they do not usually compete. Borel, based in Kentucky, doesn't feel the need to get reacquainted with Belmont's unique 1 1/2-mile oval.

``I've ridden there lots of times,'' Borel said. ``It's like any track. You just turn left.''

Even though he is not riding, Borel is in the midst of a busy week.

He has already taped a segment with David Letterman that airs Friday night, and on Thursday morning, he'll join the Mine That Bird team - trainer Chip Woolley and owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach - to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

 

[Lumi]

Lukas takes a shot in the Belmont Stakes

Lukas takes a shot in the Belmont Stakes

Lukas takes a shot in the Belmont Stakes
June 4, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -D. Wayne Lukas has a history of winning the Belmont Stakes with long shots.


The Hall of Fame trainer returns Saturday after a three-year gap with two more outsiders: Flying Private, 12-1, and Luv Gov, 20-1.

After finishing last in the Kentucky Derby, Flying Private bounced back with a rallying fourth in the Preakness. Flying Private joins Derby winner Mine That Bird as the only two horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown.

It took Luv Gov 10 tries to finally win a race. Following that victory, Lukas put the colt in the Preakness, where he ran eighth.

Between them, Flying Private and Luv Gov are a combined 2-for-23, a record that does not inspire confidence.

But this is Lukas, a four-time Belmont winner. He has won the race with well-backed horses like Tabasco Cat (1994, 3-1) and Thunder Gulch (1995, 3-2). Lukas also scored with lightly regarded runners: Editor's Note (1996, 5-1) and Commendable (2000, 18-1).

``We've won this race before with horses no one gave a shot to,'' Lukas said. ``We knew they were developing horses coming into the race at the right time and the right way.''

Lukas says the key to winning the 1 1/2-mile Belmont is having a horse with the style and stamina to handle the longest of the Triple Crown races.

``All of them can run a mile-and-a-half,'' Lukas said. ``Some take a little longer. There's a gut-check with the pedigree. We think we have a couple of horses that fit that mold to, at least in my opinion, be competitive.''

The four Belmont victories put Lukas in a three-way tie for fifth place with Max Hirsch and R.W. Walden. James Rowe is the all-time leader with 8 Belmont wins followed by Sam Hendreth, 7, ``Sunny Jim'' Fitzsimmons, 6, and Woody Stephens, 5.

---

GARCIA DOUBLE: Few noticed last year when Alan Garcia won last year's Belmont aboard Da'Tara at 38-1. All eyes were on Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, who was pulled up as the 3-5 favorite.

Garcia goes for a Belmont double aboard Charitable Man, the 3-1 second choice.

Calvin Borel grabbed the headlines this spring with victories aboard Mine That Bird in the Derby and the filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. Garcia has also been riding in top form, having captured the Met Mile on Memorial Day with Bribon and the Peter Pan Stakes with Charitable Man.

``I am very excited about the way this horse is coming into this race,'' Garcia said.

Garcia will try to become the eighth jockey to win consecutive Belmonts, and the first since Ron Turcotte rode Riva Ridge and Secretariat in 1972-73.

``He's riding very well,'' Kiaran McLaughlin, Charitable Man's trainer, said. ``He and Calvin are in a bit of a zone. Calvin's zone is a little bigger because he's won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Alan has been doing very well and we're happy to have him.''

---

ON THE MEND: The one-horse stable of former high school principal Tom McCarthy is now empty while General Quarters recovers from surgery to remove a chip from his right knee.

The 75-year-old McCarthy has been one of the feel-good stories of the Triple Crown series. Unfortunately, General Quarters could not deliver a storybook ending, finishing 10th in the Derby and ninth in the Preakness.

McCarthy hopes to have General Quarters racing early next year.

 

[Lumi]

Mine That Bird 2-1 favorite for Belmont

Mine That Bird 2-1 favorite for Belmont

Mine That Bird 2-1 favorite for Belmont
June 3, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -Mine That Bird has been made the 2-1 favorite for the Belmont Stakes, when Calvin Borel will attempt to become the first jockey to win all three Triple Crown races with different horses.

Borel rode Mine That Bird to victory in the Kentucky Derby, then won the Preakness Stakes aboard the filly Rachel Alexandra, and is back on Mine That Bird for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.

A field of 10 3-year-olds has been entered Wednesday, with Mine That Bird drawing the No. 7 post position. Charitable Man, who missed the Derby and the Preakness, was the second choice at 3-1. He drew the No. 6 post.

Also entered, from the rail out, are: Chocolate Candy, Dunkirk, Mr. Hot Stuff, Summer Bird, Luv Gov, Flying Private, Miner's Escape and Brave Victory.

 

[Lumi]

Dunkirk gets another chance at Belmont

Dunkirk gets another chance at Belmont

Dunkirk gets another chance at Belmont
June 3, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -Todd Pletcher always had high expectations for Dunkirk.

The gray colt purchased for $3.7 million in 2007 has a chance to vindicate his trainer on Saturday in the $1 million Belmont Stakes.

Dunkirk showed enough flashes of talent to be considered one of top contenders heading into the Kentucky Derby, sent off the 5-1 second choice in only his fourth race.

In the slop at Churchill Downs, Dunkirk got off to a poor start and finished 11th.

``I felt going into the Derby this is a very good horse,'' Pletcher said. ``At the beginning of the race, out of the gate, he stumbled. When he did get to the first turn, he got squeezed back and lost position. I felt he never ran to his capabilities.''

Pletcher elected to skip the Preakness and have Dunkirk wait for the Belmont. Pletcher stands by that decision.

``He is training very well,'' Pletcher said. ``He's put on some weight since the Derby. I stand by the fact he's a very high-quality horse.''

Dunkirk is the 4-1 third choice from post No. 2 in the 10-horse field. John Velazquez will ride Dunkirk for the first time.

Dunkirk will try to follow a pattern that has worked well in recent years: run in the Derby, skip the Preakness and win the Belmont. That was the course taken by Commendable (2000), Empire Maker (2003), Birdstone (2004) and Jazil (2006).

The nation's top trainer from 2004-07, Pletcher got his lone Triple Crown victory in the 2007 Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches.

---

REMEMBERING RENE: Injured jockey Rene Douglas will be in the hearts and minds of the riders competing in the Belmont, who will join others across the country in a moment of tribute for Douglas and his fellow injured riders at approximately 4:15 p.m on Saturday.

Douglas went down in a spill May 23 at Arlington Park, suffering a spinal cord injury. He has not regained feeling in his legs. Douglas won the 1996 Belmont aboard Editor's Note.

As part of the tribute, all active riders are asked to contribute to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The New York Racing Association will donate $5,000 to the fund with Ron Turcotte, Triple Crown winner Secretariat's rider, accepting the gift in a winner's circle presentation.

Fans who wish to contribute can visit the fund's Web site www.pdjf.org for more information. Direct donations for Douglas' rehabilitation can be made to Citibank, 539 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611.

---

HIRSCH MEMORIAL: The public is invited to the Joe Hirsch tribute service Friday starting at 10:30 a.m. in Belmont's North Shore Terrace on the fourth floor of the clubhouse.

The dean of turf writers, Hirsch was the columnist for the ``Daily Racing Form'' for 50 years. He died Jan. 9 at age 80 following a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease.

---

BUSY BOREL: Defying tradition, Calvin Borel does not have a scheduled mount at Belmont Park this week prior to the Belmont.

Borel will try to pull off an unprecedented personal Triple Crown, winning all three legs of the series in one year on different horses. He was aboard Mine That Bird for the 50-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby before riding the filly Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Preakness.

With Rachel Alexandra not running in the Belmont, Borel hopped back on Mine That Bird.

Even though he is in town all week, Borel has no plans to ride prior to the Belmont. Many jockeys like to have acclimating races at tracks where they do not usually compete. Borel, based in Kentucky, doesn't feel the need to get reacquainted with Belmont's unique 1 1/2-mile oval.

``I've ridden there lots of times,'' Borel said. ``It's like any track. You just turn left.''

Even though he is not riding, Borel is in the midst of a busy week.

He has already taped a segment with David Letterman that airs Friday night, and on Thursday morning, he'll join the Mine That Bird team - trainer Chip Woolley and owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach - to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

 

[Lumi]

Belmont contenders have easy morning

Belmont contenders have easy morning

Belmont contenders have easy morning
June 5, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -The serious work is over for the Belmont Stakes contenders.


Most of the horses in Saturday's 1 1/2-mile conclusion to the Triple Crown had easy gallops in the slop Thursday morning at Belmont Park.

Much of the focus was on Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird stretching his legs over the strip for the first time following his arrival from Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon.

Trainer Chip Woolley is amazed by the gelding's adaptability. He had no problem handling the sloppy surface at Churchill Downs in the Derby. Two weeks later, Mine That Bird was a hard-charging second behind the filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness at Pimlico.

``If there's a track he doesn't like, we haven't found it yet,'' Woolley said of the 2-1 favorite in the Belmont.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin took Charitable Man, the 3-1 second choice, to Belmont's training track for his gallop instead of the main track.

McLaughlin is not a big fan of training in the mud.

``Ideally speaking, we'd like to gallop over a fast track, just to keep him in a routine,'' McLaughlin said. ``We don't mind running on a sloppy track, but there is no money in the morning so we don't train on it.''

While more rain is expected Friday, the forecast for Saturday is encouraging: a sunny afternoon with temperatures in the upper 70s.

That sits well with Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Dunkirk, the 4-1 third choice who had a gallop over the main track.

``If it were a drying-out, sticky, gooey track, then I would be concerned,'' Pletcher said. ``I don't anticipate an off track unless it rains Saturday. This track dries out pretty quickly.''

----

LONG-SHOT LUKAS: D. Wayne Lukas has a history of winning the Belmont Stakes with long shots.

The Hall of Fame trainer returns after a three-year gap with two more outsiders: Flying Private, 12-1, and Luv Gov, 20-1.

After finishing last in the Kentucky Derby, Flying Private bounced back with a rallying fourth in the Preakness. Flying Private and Derby winner Mine That Bird are the only two horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown.

It took Luv Gov 10 tries to finally win a race. Following that victory, Lukas put the colt in the Preakness, where he ran eighth.

Between them, Flying Private and Luv Gov are a combined 2 for 23, a record that does not inspire confidence.

But this is Lukas, a four-time Belmont winner. He has won the race with well-backed horses like Tabasco Cat (1994, 3-1) and Thunder Gulch (1995, 3-2). Lukas also scored with lightly regarded runners: Editor's Note (1996, 5-1) and Commendable (2000, 18-1).

``We've won this race before with horses no one gave a shot to,'' Lukas said. ``We knew they were developing horses coming into the race at the right time and the right way.''

Lukas said the key to winning the 1 1/2-mile Belmont is having a horse with the style and stamina to handle the longest of the Triple Crown races.

``All of them can run a mile-and-a-half,'' Lukas said. ``Some take a little longer. There's a gut check with the pedigree. We think we have a couple of horses that fit that mold to, at least in my opinion, be competitive.''

Lukas' four Belmont victories puts him in a tie for fifth with Max Hirsch and R.W. Walden. James Rowe is the career leader with eight Belmont wins followed by Sam Hendreth, seven, ``Sunny Jim'' Fitzsimmons, six, and Woody Stephens, five.

---

GARCIA DOUBLE: Few noticed last year when Alan Garcia won last year's Belmont aboard Da'Tara at 38-1. All eyes were on Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, who was pulled up as the 3-5 favorite.

Garcia goes for a Belmont double aboard Charitable Man, the 3-1 second choice.

Calvin Borel grabbed the headlines this spring with victories aboard Mine That Bird in the Derby and the filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. Garcia also has been in top form, capturing the Met Mile on Memorial Day with Bribon and the Peter Pan Stakes with Charitable Man.

``I am very excited about the way this horse is coming into this race,'' Garcia said.

Garcia will try to become the eighth jockey to win consecutive Belmonts, and the first since Ron Turcotte rode Riva Ridge and Secretariat in 1972-73.

``He's riding very well,'' McLaughlin, Charitable Man's trainer, said. ``He and Calvin are in a bit of a zone. Calvin's zone is a little bigger because he's won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Alan has been doing very well and we're happy to have him.''

---

ON THE MEND: The one-horse stable of former high school principal Tom McCarthy is now empty while General Quarters recovers from surgery to remove a chip from his right knee.

The 75-year-old McCarthy has been one of the feel-good stories of the Triple Crown series. Unfortunately, General Quarters could not deliver a storybook ending, finishing 10th in the Derby and ninth in the Preakness.

McCarthy hopes to have General Quarters racing again early next year.

 

[Lumi]

Hall of Famer trainer Zito has 2 Belmont shots

Hall of Famer trainer Zito has 2 Belmont shots

Hall of Famer trainer Zito has 2 Belmont shots
June 5, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -Overlook Nick Zito in the Belmont Stakes at your own risk.

The Hall of Fame trainer is sending out a couple of long shots in Saturday's Belmont, and as he frequently says: ``You can't even lose if you don't run.''

With that approach, Zito seems to have mastered the art of the 1 1/2-mile Belmont: Find a fresh, fit and not-yet-famous 3-year-old who is training well, put him in against a bunch of rivals likely to be weary from a grueling Triple Crown season, and pull off a huge upset.

Last year, Da' Tara was a shocker at odds of 38-1, spoiling Big Brown's Triple try and giving Zito his second Belmont win.

In 2004, Zito apologized in the winner's circle at his home track after 36-1 shot Birdstone derailed Smarty Jones' Triple attempt before a record crowd of 120,139.

``We've been lucky in this race, and hopefully everything will work out OK this time,'' Zito said.

This time, Zito will saddle 15-1 shots Brave Victory and Miner's Escape, a pair of colts he trains for longtime client Robert LaPenta. The target: Derby winner and 2-1 favorite Mine That Bird.

Brave Victory has a third-place finish in the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont on May 9 in his only race in the last seven weeks. Miner's Escape won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico on May 2, his only race since breaking his maiden nearly three months ago.

``I think I've got live long shots here,'' Zito said. ``When your horses are running well, you have to take a chance, especially in a race with this kind of history and this kind of importance. If we're good enough, we'll make it. If not, we won't. We just gotta play the game and see.''

Da' Tara finished second in the Barbaro Stakes before going wire-to-wire in the Belmont; Birdstone ran eighth in the Derby before skipping the Preakness and running down Smarty Jones in the final 70 yards for a one-length win.

Zito has played the Triple Crown game well through the years with two Derby wins and a Preakness to go with his Belmont scores. Mine That Bird co-owner Mark Allen is a big fan.

``He's the king of the Belmont,'' Allen said. ``I think Mr. Zito will have something to say about what happens.''

Zito's Belmont record speaks for itself: two wins, six seconds and three thirds from 20 starters.

Zito understands Mine That Bird and 3-1 second choice Charitable Man will be tough to beat, but he's got Miner's Escape to match the speedy Charitable Man at the start while Brave Victory will try to finish strong, along with Mine That Bird.

``Mine That Bird is a tough horse, don't get me wrong,'' Zito said. ``But so were Smarty Jones and Big Brown. This is a mile and a half race, and with fresh horses who have been doing well, you always have a chance. That's why I love this race.''

And if Zito can't win, he'll be cheering on two sons of Birdstone, Mine That Bird and 12-1 shot Summer Bird.

``If it's not us, we certainly are rooting for them,'' he said.

It was an eventful Thursday for the connections of Mine That Bird. Trainer Chip Woolley watched Mine That Bird gallop around the sloppy Belmont oval for the first time, then joined Calvin Borel on Wall Street as the jockey sounded the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

``It was a neat feeling to be part of something like that,'' Woolley said, ``but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the horse.''

As for his first glimpse at Belmont, the trainer from New Mexico said: ``It's a very large place. When you walk up there and look at the oval, you can't see the whole thing. And when he'd been loping around there for about 15 minutes, I said, `My God, he ain't going to make it all the way around there.'''

 

[Lumi]

Zito's Belmont Stakes record

Zito's Belmont Stakes record

Zito's Belmont Stakes record
June 5, 2009


NEW YORK (AP) -Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito has two starters in Saturday's 141st running of the Belmont Stakes, raising his total to 22 - the most by any trainer. He has two wins, six seconds and three third-place finishes:


1984 - Morning Bob (3rd)

1990 - Thirty Six Red (2nd)

1991 - Strike the Gold (2nd)

1992 - Agincourt (7th)

1994 - Go for Gin (2nd)

1995 - Star Standard (2nd)

1996 - Louis Quatorze (4th)

1996 - Saratoga Dandy (11th)

1999 - Adonis (12th)

1999 - Stephen Got Even (5th)

2001 - A P Valentine (2nd)

2004 - Birdstone (WON)

2004 - Royal Assault (3rd)

2005 - Andromeda's Hero (2nd)

2005 - Indy Storm (4th)

2005 - Pinpoint (11th)

2006 - Hemingway's Key (6th)

2007 - C P West (5th)

2008 - Anak Nakal (3rd-DH)

2008 - Da' Tara (WON)

2009 - Brave Victory

2009 - Miner's Escape

 

[skodaa]

Who rides the best wins the race.......

I'll take last years winning jockey with #6 and hope 237 in any order are behind Him

$12 super key 6 with 237

I also played 6237 in the Pa. Lottery for 50 cent straight with a return of $2500.

 

[Lumi]

BELMONT STAKES: 'Bird' man won't back down

BELMONT STAKES: 'Bird' man won't back down

BELMONT STAKES: 'Bird' man won't back down

Borel, chasing two-horse Triple Crown, stands by victory prediction

By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- A Cajun, a cowboy and a tough little gelding have teamed to make this Triple Crown season one to remember.

In today's Belmont Stakes, Cajun rider Calvin Borel will be reunited with trainer Chip Woolley's Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in an attempt to become the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on different horses.

Borel has guaranteed victory in the 11/2-mile Belmont and isn't about to back down as post time approaches.

"I said it, and I'm sticking with it," the jockey from St. Martin Parish, La., said. "I'm confident 100 percent that he'll win."

Woolley, a former bareback rider from New Mexico with the big, black cowboy hat, loves Borel's fearlessness and was thrilled he was available to ride Mine That Bird in last month's Derby.

"You've got to go into these big races with a lot of confidence and patience and belief in yourself to do it," he said. "He's the perfect match."

Borel won the Derby on the 50-1 long shot by an astonishing 63/4 lengths in a daring rail-rattling, last-to-first ride. The plot thickened when Rachel Alexandra -- the filly he rode to six straight wins -- was entered in the Preakness by new owner Jess Jackson and Borel was obligated to ride her.

Borel guided the filly to a one-length win over late-charging Mine That Bird. With Rachel Alexandra not in the Belmont, the stage is set for Borel to carve out his own place in thoroughbred racing history.

"Sure I want it for myself," Borel said. "Why not? Nobody did it. I'd like to do it. It's another milestone. I want to do it for Chip, too. I'm grateful he gave me an opportunity to ride the horse back. It's a dream, and I'm just riding it."

Mine That Bird is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds, with Charitable Man the second choice at 3-1. Son of 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone, Mine That Bird will leave from the No. 7 post for one lap around the wide, sweeping turns of huge Belmont Park.

"It's a very large place," Woolley said on a rainy Thursday as Mine That Bird galloped over the track for the first time. "When you walk up there and look at the oval, you can't see the whole thing."

After several rainy days, the weather forecast for today calls for partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 77 degrees and a 10 percent chance of rain. Post time for the Belmont is 3:27 p.m. PDT.

While it's now 31 years since Affirmed became the last Triple Crown champion, the novelty of a "Calvin Crown" has become the popular theme.

Personal Triple Crowns are not entirely new, though. In 1995, trainer D. Wayne Lukas won the Derby and the Belmont with Thunder Gulch and the Preakness with Timber Country. The Hall of Famer is bidding for his fifth Belmont win with long shots Flying Private and Luv Gov.

"You almost wonder if it isn't destined for him," Lukas said. "There were so many decisions that had to be made for it to fall into place for him to get the ride back. That said, at least he's in a position to do it."

Again, Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito will try to play spoiler with two long shots of his own in Brave Victory and Miner's Escape. Zito dashed the Triple Crown bids of Smarty Jones when Birdstone won at 36-1 odds and of Big Brown last year when Da' Tara won at 38-1 odds.

"I think I've got live long shots here," Zito said. "If we're good enough, we'll make it. If not, we won't. We just gotta play the game and see."

The biggest threat appears to be Charitable Man, who did not run in the first two legs of the Triple Crown but won the Peter Pan Stakes by 33/4 lengths at Belmont on May 9. The colt is trained by a confident Kiaran McLaughlin, winner of the 2006 Belmont with Jazil, and will be ridden by Alan Garcia, winner of last year's Belmont aboard Da' Tara.

"I've got a lot of respect for Mine That Bird, but my horse couldn't be doing any better," McLaughlin said.

Look for Charitable Man and Miner's Escape to set the early pace, with Mine That Bird somewhere near the back of the pack. After a long run down the backstretch, the key to victory probably depends on when a rider asks his horse to make a move. Woolley said he thinks Mine That Bird could be 10 to 12 lengths behind the leaders.

BELMONT ODDS

The field for today's 141st Belmont Stakes, with post position, horse's name, jockey's name and odds:

Post horse Jockey Odds
1. Chocolate Candy Gomez 10-1
2. Dunkirk Velazquez 4-1
3. Mr. Hot Stuff Prado 15-1
4. Summer Bird Desormeaux 12-1
5. Luv Gov Mena 20-1
6. Charitable Man Garcia 3-1
7. Mine That Bird Borel 2-1
8. Flying Private Leparoux 12-1
9. Miner's Escape Lezcano 15-1
10. Brave Victory Maragh 15-1

 

[Lumi]

RICHARD ENG: Just running Triple Crown a tall task

RICHARD ENG: Just running Triple Crown a tall task

RICHARD ENG: Just running Triple Crown a tall task

The Triple Crown is a grueling five-week campaign that few horses go through nowadays. In fact, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and Flying Private will be the only horses to race in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes this year.

Mine That Bird (2-1) is a deserving morning-line favorite in the Belmont. His second-place finish in the Preakness to Rachel Alexandra actually earned him more respect than his long-shot Derby win.

The big Belmont story has been the reunion of Mine That Bird with jockey Calvin Borel. Borel won the Derby on him, then jumped off to ride Rachel Alexandra to win the Preakness. He returns to ride Mine That Bird in the Belmont and could become the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on two horses.

It won't be easy. New shooters such as Peter Pan winner Charitable Man and well-rested Derby horses such as Dunkirk and Chocolate Candy lie in wait. Charitable Man is definitely the wise-guy horse, and I wouldn't be shocked if he went off favored.

Dunkirk ran a brave second in the Florida Derby to Quality Road, a colt many considered to be the best 3-year-old this spring.

On paper, Charitable Man appears to be the lone speed horse. But I suspect two horses will go after him: Luv Gov and Miner's Escape. Both long shots are running uncoupled with a stronger stablemate in Flying Private and Brave Victory. It would serve their trainers -- D. Wayne Lukas and Nick Zito -- well if Charitable Man could be softened up.

If that pace scenario occurs, I like Dunkirk. I can see Garrett Gomez sitting back on Dunkirk with Mine That Bird and Calvin Borel. Both will rally around the far turn, but I see Dunkirk having more kick left.

My selections for the Belmont are Dunkirk, Charitable Man, Mine That Bird and Flying Private.

? BELMONT SEMINARS -- The M Resort race book will host a free Belmont Stakes seminar at 6 tonight with Ralph Siraco of "RaceDay Las Vegas" and Jerry Jacovitz of Jerry J's Power Page.

? TWIN QUINELLAS -- Two rich twin quinella wagers will be offered Saturday at Station Casinos ($10,000) and Lucky's ($8,630).