At Belmont Today
– Trainer Pat Reynolds (the man who lost Big Brown) is in a slump, with only one winner out of his 15 horse stable this year, and I have some reservations that Money Manager, breaking from post 12 on Belmont’s inner turf, will turn things around, but despite being on the outside the horse looks good today in race four, a competitive 1 1/16 mile maiden claiming event. In his last start, dropping out of maiden special company and trying turf for the first time, Money Manager showed more speed and interest than he had in his two previous races, finishing third, 2 1/2 lengths behind Maddy’s Crowd, who came back to win an allowance at Atlantic City last Friday with a 90 Beyer. Money Manager is the tepid 7-2 morning line favorite in the race; Footloose Man, entering off back-to-back seconds for trainer Mark Hennig, is second at 4-1. Also of interest: Ghazi the Great, making his second start for trainer Barclay Tagg. Fans of Cornelio on the grass will note he picks up the mount.
– Preliminary necropsy results on Eight Belles indicate the filly didn’t die of heart failure or an aneurysm, said owner Rick Porter. “It came from the leg injuries” (DRF). The filly is also being tested for steroids, at trainer Larry Jones’ insistence, in response to intimations from post-Derby critics that Eight Belles was on performance-enhancing supplements. “I guarantee there were no steroids ever on the horse,” an emotional Jones told reporters gathered for a press conference on Tuesday at Delaware Park (AP).
– The Preakness field is looking thin, with only seven confirmed starters as of Tuesday. San Rafael Stakes winner El Gato Malo is the latest defection, pointing to the Lone Star Derby instead of taking on Big Brown at Pimlico.
1 Comment