Filly, Colts Stake Out Belmont Triple Crown Will Come To End, But Day Sure To Be A Winner
The Triple Crown will come to an end today when New York stages the 128th running of the Belmont Stakes with no sweep of the series possible but with fanfare, summery weather, a large crowd and a field of 15 horses that will match the record cast of 13 years ago.
In the last and longest of the classic races for 3-year-olds, one fast filly, My Flag, owned by Ogden Phipps, will challenge 14 colts at a mile and a half for a purse of $500,000 and leadership in the muddled class.
Grindstone, winner of the Kentucky Derby, and Unbridled’s Song, the beaten and injured favorite for the Derby, will not be there. But two of the survivors of the punishing Triple Crown races will be the favorites: Louis Quatorze, winner of the Preakness Stakes, will appear as the hometown hero trying to outrun California’s star, Cavonnier.
Louis Quatorze, trained by Nick Zito, ran second in the Blue Grass Stakes and an unaccountable 16th in the Kentucky Derby, but led wire-to-wire in the Preakness. He is the second choice in the early line at 9-2 as part of an entry with his stablemate, Saratoga Dandy, a distance horse who rallies from far back.
Cavonnier, the early favorite at 3-1, has run three strong races in a row, finishing first in the Santa Anita Derby, second by a nose in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Preakness.
“He’s happy, and we’re ready,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Cavonnier for the Robert Walker family. “I just hope the weather holds. The only concern I have is that if he does make the lead, I hope it doesn’t come too early.”
Baffert, an extrovert, who is a fast man with a bon mot, paused and added, “My other concern is that he makes the lead.”
Zito noted Louis Quatorze had drawn the No. 12 stall in the starting gate and that the speed horse, Appealing Skier, had drawn No. 8, and reasoned: “My wish list is to follow Appealing Skier over as he goes. He has a lot of speed. As for Saratoga Dandy, he drew No. 1, and that’s fine with me.”