Belmont Notes
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– Hard Spun (right) arrived at Belmont this afternoon. He’ll put in his final work for next Saturday’s Belmont Stakes on Sunday or Monday, said trainer Larry Jones.
– Slew’s Tizzy put in his final work for the race, going four furlongs in :49 flat, according to trainer Gregory Fox (NYRA). The Lone Star Derby winner will ship from Lexington on Tuesday.
– Here come the longshots: Let’s see, only five possible starters and a $1 million purse. It’s no wonder the unknown Digger is now a Belmont contender (DRF).
– Street Sense has been sold to Darley (ESPN). Hard Spun too (Blood-Horse).
Not Belmont Bound
Thursday update: Oops. I read the situation all wrong. Street Sense will skip the Belmont, point to the Travers (DRF).
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That’s about the only conclusion that can be drawn from a press release sent out by Churchill Downs today, announcing a news conference at the track with trainer Carl Nafzger on Thursday at 10:30 a.m., a follow-up phone conference for remote journalists at 11:30 a.m., and a web video replay of the conference for the public starting at noon. Oh, and there’ll be a “video opportunity” on Wednesday morning, when Street Sense works. So, it looks like we’ll have the top three finishers of the first two classics meeting once more in New York. A Triple Crown might not be on the wire, but a Hard Spun-Curlin-Street Sense rematch is still a good story. Fellow TBA-er Michael, of Curb My Enthusiasm, will be covering the remote press conference and promises updates throughout.
Wednesday morning addendum: Alan at Left at the Gate guesses the decision will be no. And the early DRF report on Street Sense’s work this morning is hardly glowing.
No Belmont for Nobiz
From Belmont Park notes:
Despite a nice five-furlong breeze of 1:00 1/5 over Belmont’s fast main track this morning, Elizabeth Valando’s Nobiz Like Shobiz is doubtful to run in the Belmont Stakes, according to trainer Barclay Tagg.
“He worked great, I thought,” Tagg said of the move with jockey Cornelio Velasquez up. “He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13, but I’m not planning on running him in the Belmont.”
A number of factors were considered by Tagg and Valando concerning the Wood Memorial winner’s potential run in the Belmont.
“If it were a walkover or a two-horse race, I would run,” Tagg said. “A $1 million race is a $1 million race.”
Tagg’s no fool. He knows his still maturing colt is no match for the likes of Curlin right now. Nobiz Like Shobiz will instead be pointed to the Dwyer, Jim Dandy, and Travers.
Belmont Possible for Rags
Curlin and Hard Spun are in for sure, Carl Nafzger is now saying Street Sense is possible (although still looking unlikely), and Todd Pletcher is dangling the tantalizing possibility that Rags to Riches will show up:
“I would say we’re sitting right on the middle of the fence,” Pletcher said in his barn office. “We’re going to monitor two things basically, how she trains and who shows up, then make a decision.” (DRF)
Rags to Riches has won three grade one events this year; if there’s a filly out there capable of taking on Curlin, she’s it.
Preakness Wrap-up
– Curlin’s Preakness Beyer came back as 111, a big number for the colt, who mounted a “stunning, brilliant” (WaPo) stretch assault on Street Sense after the Derby winner blew by him at the top of the lane. “Curlin just has this way about him, the last part of the race he wants to win,” said jockey Robby Albarado (NY Times). Street Sense duplicated his Kentucky Derby effort, but lost focus near the end, losing to Curlin by a head. “He just got to gawking 40 yards from home and he just got outrun,” said Calvin Borel (NY Post).
– Don’t bet on Street Sense starting in the Belmont, said trainer Carl Nafzger. “What’s the point?” (Blood-Horse).
– Third place finisher Hard Spun is still being considered for the race though. “We came into the Triple Crown thinking we were going to go to all three races,” said trainer Larry Jones. “Hard Spun’s mother was a stakes winner at a mile-and-a-half. There’s no reason to think he can’t do it because he sure won’t have to run this fast early next time” (NY Post). Let me admit now that I was wrong about this colt — I thought he’d finish much further back, after his big effort in the Derby, but Hard Spun ran another good race and hung on gamely at the end, despite that too early move at the half. I’ll respect him much more in three weeks.
– And the second guessing begins: “Mario Pino, who rode Hard Spun to a third-place finish in the Preakness, and Calvin Borel, on runner-up Street Sense, both made moves in the heat of battle that may have affected the outcome” (MSNBC).
– Also on Saturday: An obviously emotional Michael Matz was in the Pimlico winner’s circle accepting a trophy from Roy and Gretchen Jackson after Chelokee won the first running of the Barbaro Stakes (DRF).
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Jessica Chapel writes and edits in Massachusetts. Railbird is a Thoroughbred horse racing blog published from June 2004 to July 2019. More / Contact
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