Zito defends Belmont field without stars

NEW YORK – Nick Zito did his best to put a positive spin on Saturday’s $1 million Belmont Stakes.

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini are not running, meaning no Triple Crown try, no rematch, no rivalry, no buzz.

But there was Zito, plugging away for the biggest race of the year in New York – the longest and most grueling of the Triple Crown races.

“It’s a competitive field, an interesting field,” the Hall of Fame trainer said Wednesday. “The favorite ran second in the Kentucky Derby, the second favorite won the Peter Pan and you have horses running around here and there and they are not running bad.”

The last time the Derby and Preakness winners missed the Belmont was 2000, when Commendable won. Zito will try to win his second Belmont with Hemingway’s Key, a 15-1 long shot in a 12-horse field with Derby runner-up Bluegrass Cat the morning-line favorite at 3-1.

Asked if the colt’s owner, Yankees boss George Steinbrenner, might not feel great about winning a race missing the top 3-year-olds, Zito shrugged and smiled.

“I don’t think the owner will be sad if we won,” he said. “He deserves it, too. George puts up a lot of money. He’s a very good sport when it comes to racing.”

Sunriver may be on the rise. After missing the Derby because of insufficient graded stakes earnings, the colt won the Peter Pan by a neck with Rafael Bejarano aboard.

Steppenwolfer, who finished third in the Derby, was the 9-2 third choice, followed by Wood Memorial winner Bob and John at 5-1.