LA Times Story

[eye123]

By John Cherwa:  




It might not have been what trainer Bob Baffert wanted, but in a 1 1/2-mile race there is plenty of time to fix any mistakes.

Justify drew the No. 1 post for Saturday’s running of the Belmont Stakes, the race that could make him the 13th Triple Crown winner. The rail is considered one of the worst, if not the worst, posts to draw.

Baffert appeared unconcerned when the announcement was made, then pulled out his phone, looked at a message, and started laughing with those around him.

This year’s Belmont post-position draw was held at Citi Field in New York, home of the New York Mets. Baffert later threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the game between the Mets and Baltimore Orioles.

“Well, I never like to draw the rail, but my horses seem to live in it,” Baffert said. “But, most importantly is that the horse is doing well, and the last time I went through this with American Pharoah, … he didn’t leave with them and I got lucky that he got away from there.

“You can have a great hole, but if you don’t leave there, you’re still going to be in trouble.”

Justify was immediately installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite. Hofburg, who came with a late rally to finish seventh (in a 20-horse field) in the Kentucky Derby, was the second favorite at 9-2. Bravazo and Vino Rosso were at 8-1. Everyone else in the 10-horse field was 12-1 or greater.

“We’ve had a good time to recover from the Derby, which probably makes it a bigger challenge for Justify,” said Bill Mott, Hofburg’s trainer. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about it. We didn’t hit the board in the Derby and didn’t see any big advantage to running in the Preakness. We just pointed for the Belmont. We have to do what’s best for us, and that’s what we did.”

Baffert was forced to come in to New York earlier than normal in order to attend the draw and make an appearance at the Mets game.

Baffert, along with trainer Dale Romans, who has Free Drop Billy in the Belmont, talked about their trip from Louisville.

“The worst thing about flying on a plane with Bob Baffert is he’s Ritchie Valens and I’m the Big Bopper,” Romans said. “The headline says, ‘Plane crash, Bob Baffert got killed. Also on the plane was Dale Romans.’”   

Trainer Wayne Lukas, who has Bravazo in the race, interjected.

“No, they’re not going to say that; they’re going to say ‘another trainer.’”

Justify, and other horses who have been training at Churchill Downs, will be arriving Wednesday in the early afternoon at Belmont Park.

There are two other Southern California-based horses in the Belmont. Blended Citizen, for trainer Doug O’Neill, has the outside 10 post and is listed at 15-1 on the morning line. He won the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park and the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont. He was fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes in the last major prep before the Kentucky Derby.

Restoring Hope, also for Baffert, will break from the No. 5 post at 30-1. His credentials are not great compared to unbeaten stablemate Justify. He has won only one race, a maiden special weight. He finished third in the Wood Memorial and followed that with a 12th-place finish in the 14-horse Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs.

[eye123]

From John Cherwa newsletter :


Updates from Belmont

All the horses are at Belmont Park by now. We can’t be everywhere, so with the help of the NYRA Press Office here’s a quick spin around what’s going on at the backstretch.

--Trainer Bill Mott is starting to crystalize a plan for Hofburg in his bid to beat Justify. “You'd like to be within two, three lengths at the quarter-pole,” Mott said. “I've been observing a lot of these marathons on dirt, and I don't think you want to be a dozen lengths off the lead turning for home.”

Mott also discussed the ability of a horse to get the 1 ½ miles. “You've got to have a horse that really wants to do that, genetically capable of doing it,” Mott said. “That's probably one of the main ingredients. Horses are made a little different, move a little differently, and some have the capacity to do it. Training is part of it, but rather I'd rather have a horse that is capable of doing that rather than one that is challenging as a miler trying to stretch it out.”

--Bravazo underwent a routine gallop on Wednesday. “The trip was easy and he had a good day on the track,” said trainer Wayne Lukas. “He just galloped and did very well. He won't do anything of any consequence between now and the race. He's fit. Now I just need to keep him happy the rest of the way.”

--Free Drop Billy worked out at Churchill Downs on Wednesday morning and then took the same flight as Justify to get to the Belmont. “It's fun and exciting to be a part of something that could be historic, like when we ran third the year Pharoah won,” trainer Dale Romans said. “Just being there and a racing fan, I was glad to be a participant and feel the electricity and energy from all the people and the fans that day. It makes the whole day a little bit more special.”

--Blended Citizen’s connections don’t seem too concerned with the No. 10 hole at the start. “Being outside helps, but it's a long race so you have plenty of time,” assistant trainer Leandro Mora said about the Doug O’Neill trained colt. “It really doesn't matter much. It's not like the Kentucky Derby where everybody is fighting for position. We're happy. First of all, it's a 10-horse field, and he's going to be the last one to load. Usually there's less stress and pressure, and now Justify is on the inside, he got the number that nobody wanted to have. So, for us it's good.”