Belmont Stakes News & Notes

May 25th

• Dual classic winner American Pharoah will be flown with other Churchill Downs-based horses to New York on June 2 in advance of his attempt at a Triple Crown sweep in the G1 Belmont S. four days later

• Frammento, the 11 th -place finisher in the G1 Kentucky Derby, is scheduled for one more workout on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga before traveling to Belmont Park on June 3 for the last summer classic

• Trainer Mike de Kock announced that Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Mubtaahij in the final leg of the Triple Crown

• Kent Desormeaux, who rode Keen Ice in the Derby, will have the mount again in the Belmont

• Stanford, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby, is a candidate for either the Easy Goer S. or the G2 Woody Stephens S. on the Belmont undercard

• Triple Crown nominee High Noon Rider will make his next start in the Penn Mile S. at Penn National or the Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont Park, both on May 30

• Chad Brown trainees Takeover Target and Startup Nation are both being pointed to the Pennine Ridge

May 21st

• Hall of Famer Gary Stevens will have the mount on G1 Preakness S. runner-up Tale of Verve in the final leg of the Triple Crown

• G1 Kentucky Derby 11 th -place finisher Frammento will have blinkers off in the G1 Belmont S. and the services of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith

• Firing Line, second in the Kentucky Derby and seventh when eased in the Preakness, will not race again until at least July, with the Los Alamitos Derby on Independence Day a possible target

• Holy Boss, winner of the Chick Lang S. on the Preakness undercard, will be nominated to the G2 Woody Stephens S. on the Belmont S. undercard but is more likely to return in a later sprint stakes on the East Coast, possibly at Monmouth Park

• James W. Murphy S. hero Woodwin W is expected to comeback quickly for a start in the G3 Penn Mile on May 30 at Penn National

May 18th

• Dual classic winner American Pharoah is scheduled to fly from Baltimore to Louisville on May 18 and prepare for the G1 Belmont S. at Churchill Downs

• American Pharoah will likely remain at Churchill Downs until June 3 when the Texas Sutton equine charter flies from Louisville to New York

• American Pharoah likely will be the only horse among this year's crop of 3-year-olds to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown

• The only horse exiting the G1 Preakness expected to challenge American Pharoah in the Belmont is runner-up Tale of Verve

• Tale of Verve will van from Baltimore to Belmont Park on May 18

• Other Belmont challengers for American Pharoah are Frosted, Materiality, Keen Ice, Mubtaahij, Carpe Diem, Frammento, Madefromlucky and Conquest Curlinate

• Future plans for Preakness show finisher Divining Rod are undetermined but the Belmont is not under consideration

• Dortmund will be freshened following his fourth-place run in the Preakness

• Preakness fifth-place finisher Mr. Z will be pointed to the Saratoga meet

• Preakness sixth-place runner Danzig Moon will now target Woodbine's Queen's Plate in July

• Firing Line, seventh in the Preakness after stumbling at the start, is scheduled to return to Southern California on May 18

• Bodhisattva, who was eased by jockey Trevor McCarthy in the Preakness, was scheduled to be vanned back to his regular headquarters at Laurel Park on May 17

• Bolo, who finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby, has resumed training in Southern California for a potential start in the G1 Belmont Derby at Belmont Park on July 4

• Upstart, who finished last in the Kentucky Derby, is getting some time off at WinStar Farm and will be pointed to a summer campaign at Saratoga

• G3 Lazaro Barrera S. champ Kentuckian could return in the $100,000 Affirmed S. on June 7 at Santa Anita

• Om, who captured an allowance optional claimer at Santa Anita on May 10, is also possible for the Affirmed

• Island Town, winner of a first-level optional claimer on the Kentucky Derby undercard, is probable for the G3 Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs on June 13

• Sunday Silence S. victor My Point Exactly will return to turf for his next start

• Mischief Clem has been turned out and will miss Santa Anita's Snow Chief Stakes on May 23 but could return at Del Mar

May 10th

• Tale of Verve, who failed to draw into the G1 Kentucky Derby from the also eligible list, will race in the G1 Preakness S. next with Joel Rosario in the irons

• Kentucky Derby fifth-place finisher Danzig Moon was confirmed for the Preakness

• Regular jockey Julien Leparoux opted to stick with Danzig Moon for the Preakness rather than ride G2 Lexington S. victor Divining Rod

• Tale of Verve and Danzig Moon will take the scheduled May 13 equine charter flight from Louisville to Baltimore along with the top three Derby finishers

• Trainer Arnaud Delacour said he expects to have either John Velazquez or Javier Castellano on Divining Rod for the Preakness

• Federico Tesio S. winner Bodhisattva will be the first Triple Crown starter for owner-trainer Jose Corrales and jockey Trevor McCarthy

• American Pharoah and Dortmund, the respective one and three finishers in the Derby, received a brief schooling session in Churchill Downs' six-stall starting gate on May 10

• Kentucky Derby 13 th -place finisher Mr. Z was removed from Preakness consideration by owner Ahmed Zayat

• Recent maiden winner Lemon Drop Title, who was being considered for the Preakness, will instead run in the Sir Barton S. on the undercard

• Bold Conquest, who was not entered as an also eligible in the Derby, is a candidate for the Sir Barton

• Lexington S. runner-up Donworth is being pointed to the Sir Barton

• Bluegrass Singer exited his May 2 Parx Derby score in good order and is possible for Pimlico's grassy James W. Murphy S. on Preakness day

• G2 Peter Pan S. hero Madefromlucky is probable for the G1 Belmont S. on June 6 while third-place finisher and stablemate Two Weeks Off is unlikely for that race

• Kentucky Derby eighth-place finisher Mubtaahij is being prepared for a return in the Belmont

• Dual G2 stakes champ Blofeld is being pointed to the G2 Woody Stephens S. on the Belmont undercard

• Keeneland allowance winner Danish Dynaformer will likely use Woodbine's May 16 Marine S. to prepare for the $1 million Queen's Plate there on July 5

• Prospect Park, who was forced to miss the Kentucky Derby due to illness, is being pointed to the G3 Affirmed S. on June 7 at Santa Anita

• The July 4 G1 Belmont Derby is under consideration for G2 American Turf S. hero Divisidero

• G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Texas Red could return to racing in Belmont Park's G3 Dwyer S. on July 4