With the Belmont Stakes now just four days away, all of the contenders have finished their major training. The final pre-Belmont workout turned in by a potential starter was completed yesterday morning when Guyana Star Dweej, expected to be the longest shot in the field, worked a half-mile in :49.06 in company with graded stakes winner Shkspeare Shaliyah, who was credited with an identical time.
Other than that, with training completed, there won't be a great deal to discuss during the coming days. The biggest news to emerge today is that Lava Man, the constant companion of Derby/Preakness winner I'll Have Another, will not accompany the budding superstar into the Belmont Stakes detention barn tomorrow morning, simply because trainer Doug O'Neill feels the old gelding will be unable to adapt to the changes as well as his younger friend.
In other Belmont news . . .
* Ravelo's Boy arrived at Belmont today following a van ride from Calder, and entered the detention barn immediately.
* Mario Gutierrez, rider of I'll Have Another, will get some much-needed riding experience at Belmont Park on Friday, where he is named to ride five horses, including four on the main track. His most prominent mount of the day is Boxeur des Rues, whom he will ride in the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II) over the same surface and distance as the Belmont Stakes.
* In what was a utterly surprisingly turn of events, it was announced that My Adonis, runner-up to Hansen in the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) earlier this year, will run in the Belmont. Owned by George and Lori Hall, who won the Belmont Stakes last year with Ruler On Ice, My Adonis will be ridden in the Belmont by leading jockey Ramon Dominguez.
* Is it just me, or is this year's Belmont Stakes one of the most unusual in recent memory? Doug O'Neill's impending suspension. The "Belmont Stakes" detention barn. Now, the maintenance workers at Belmont Park, including the starting gate crew, are on strike. A detailed article discussing the subject can be found on DRF.com: http://www.drf.com/news/union-representing-nyra-maintenance-workers-authorizes-strike
-Keelerman
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