The final jewel of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown will be contested on June 8 with the 156th running of the Belmont Stakes. The oldest race of the trio may or may not provide fans with a thrilling finish like the Kentucky Derby did or a historical result like the Preakness, but it seems to hold more intrigue leading up to the race than its two predecessors. That is because the race will be run away from Belmont Park for the first time in 57 years and at a distance shorter than its grueling 1 ½-miles. Saratoga Race Course, affectionately known as “The Spa”, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will host the race for the first time as Belmont Park is currently undergoing extensive renovations. The track located in the New York City suburb of Elmont is building both a new grandstand and racing surfaces, which will displace the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga for both this year and next. The configuration of Saratoga necessitates that the race will be contested at 1 1/4-miles – the same distance as the Kentucky Derby and the Travers Stakes, which is Saratoga’s marquee race in its traditional summer meet. Saratoga’s annual meet is considered the premier summer meet in the U.S., so most of the sport’s top trainers are very familiar with the track. The combination of these two factors has resulted in a lot of top trainers and owners taking a serious look at entering their 3-year-olds currently showing any promise – and may very well also include the winners of the first two Triple Crown races. Mystik Dan, who nosed out Sierra Leone to capture the Kentucky Derby, is already training at Saratoga. Trainer Ken McPeek, who waited until one week before the Preakness to commit his colt to that race, is again exercising prudence with regards to the Belmont Stakes. “We’ll take it as it comes and get him into a routine here,” said McPeek, who also said that filly Thorpedo Anna, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, is also under consideration for the Belmont Stakes.Seize the Gray, who defeated Mystik Dan by 2 ¼ lengths in a sloppy Preakness to thwart his Triple Crown bid, was confirmed for the Belmont Stakes by trainer D. Wayne Lukas three days after that win. Lukas became the oldest conditioner in Triple Crown history with the Preakness win. Like Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone is also currently training at Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes under the tutelage of Chad Brown, who likes what he is seeing from his colt. “I want to maintain where I’m at with [Sierra Leone] and I’m thrilled with how he’s moving,” Brown said. Trainer Todd Pletcher, who along with Lukas leads all active trainers with four Belmont Stakes wins to date, looks to stack the field as he will likely enter three colts into the race. Antiquarian, winner of the Peter Pan stakes at Aqueduct on May 11, will lead the Pletcher trio along with undefeated Mindframe and Protective. On May 30, Pletcher announced that Fierceness, who was targeting the Belmont Stakes after a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, would now be pointed towards the Haskell Stakes in July. Other horses considered probable for the Belmont Stakes include Batten Down, Dornoch, Honor Marie, Resilience, The Wine Steward and Tuscan Gold.
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