Preakness victor Exaggerator has been made the 9-5 favorite in a field of 13 for Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown.
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In 2012, O’Neill’s Derby and Preakness victor, I’ll Have Another, was retired the day before the Belmont with a tendon injury and missed a Triple Crown chance.
“I do actually”, Desormeaux said of having a home-track advantage, just like he felt he did at Pimlico, where he also used to ride on a regular basis. Keith, 43, has been training for more than 25 years and this is his first time on the Triple Crown stage.
“I’m going to let Exaggerator get comfortable, wherever that is it’s going to be”, he said.
Commendable (2000), Jazil (2006), Summer Bird (2009), Union Rags (2012) and Palace Malice (2013) also ran in the Derby and then had five weeks off before winning the Belmont.
CHERRY WINE: This stretch-runner finished second to Exaggerator in the Preakness beaten 3-1/2 lengths, about 1/2 length in front of Nyquist. At the same time, Exaggerator’s jockey, Kent Desormeaux, was in a Utah rehab facility.
This style of management is a fairly recent phenomenon, reflecting the gradual trend of trainers giving their horses more time between starts. I think he put on a few pounds, which is always a positive quality, especially when you’re running races that are so close together.
The 2016 Belmont Stakes is lacking a Triple Crown contender, but not racing intrigue. “You can’t make a horse go a mile and a half”.
Kentucky Derby victor Nyquist is not running after dropping out last month because of a fever from a high white cell count. “The race we’re looking forward to now is the Belmont because it’s longer”.
The 46-year-old Hall of Fame rider won the Preakness aboard Exaggerator on May 21 after they finished second in the Kentucky Derby on May 7.
Pletcher could be the most formidable foe with 5-1 second choice Stradivari and 6-1 third-choice Destin.
From the rail out, the field for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont is Governor Malibu, Destin, Cherry Wine, Suddenbreakingnews, Stradivari, Gettysburg, Seeking the Soul, Forever d’Oro, Trojan Nation, Lani, Exaggerator, Brody’s Cause and Creator. In fact, he is the last horse to win just one of the first two jewels and go on to victory at Belmont.
The two-time grade I victor is only inside Brody’s Cause (post 12, 20-1) and Creator (post 13, 10-1).
The 3-year-old colt and runner-up in the Kentucky Derby drew the No. 11 post position in the field of 13 for the 148th running of the 1 1/2 mile race in Elmont, New York. He has one Derby win and no Preakness wins but has two winners in the Belmont since 2007. In 1998, he was on Real Quiet when the colt’s Triple Crown bid was nosed out by Victory Gallop at the wire.
“We’ve got to have these years where we don’t have the Triple Crown on the line”, he said, “where we still have a great race and we have a great card”.
In the Kentucky Derby, he raced mid-pack throughout but never had a clear path to run until it was too late.
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A decent-sized group of media began to emerge as Belmont S. favorite Exaggerator (Curlin) was led out of the tunnel by trainer Keith Desormeaux after the renovation break at 8:45 a.m. In 2005, trainer Dale Romans saddled Nolan’s Cat, a maiden whose dam’s sire was 1989 Belmont victor Easy Goer, to a third place finish in the Belmont while 28-to-1 longshot Commissioner, a son of A.P. Indy out of mare by 1997 Belmont victor Touch Gold, came within a head of besting Tonalist in 2014.
