ELMONT, N.Y. — Triple Crown contender I’ll Have Another turned in another strong gallop as he prepared for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
On a sunny Thursday morning, the colt again went once around the oval, duplicating the 1½ miles of the race.
“He had a really good day of training,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “He showed good energy, and he cooled out really well. I’m very happy with where we are two days out.”
Like all the other horses in the race, I’ll Have Another has already concluded his serious training. The mission for trainers is to keep their horses keen and ready with gallops rather than timed workouts that emphasize speed.
Some horses also will get paddock schooling to familiarize them with the saddling area. Belmont contenders Street Life, Dullahan, Paynter and Union Rags spent time in the paddock during the live racing card Thursday.
Strike that. O’Neill reluctantly passed on an offer to throw out the first pitch tonight at Yankee Stadium before the Mets played the Yankees.
The timing was just too tight.
O’Neill is running Boxeur des Rues in the Brooklyn Handicap, which is set to go at 5:44 p.m.
The Brooklyn will help jockey Mario Gutierrez get used to a track with which he is unfamiliar. An unknown rider before his Kentucky Derby victory, Gutierrez has never ridden at Belmont.
“At the end of the day, it’s not going to work,” O’Neill said of the first pitch. “It would be an unbelievable experience. But I think more importantly having Boxeur in the Brooklyn and having him run good, and giving Mario experience, is the most important thing.”
Weather report. The forecast for Saturday calls for a partly cloudy day with temperatures in the low 80s. There is a 20 percent chance of rain in the evening, presumably after the race is run at 4:40 p.m. MDT.
Belmont Stakes field
The field for Saturday’s 144th Belmont Stakes
PP Horse Trainer Jockey Odds
1 Street Life Chad Brown Jose Lezcano 12-1
2 Unstoppable U Ken McPeek Junior Alvarado 30-1
3 Union Rags Michael Matz John Velazquez 6-1
4 Atigun Ken McPeek Julien Leparoux 30-1
5 Dullahan Dale Romans Javier Castellano 5-1
6 Ravelo’s Boy Manny Azpurua Alex Solis 50-1
7 Five Sixteen D. Schettino Rosie Napravnik 50-1
8 Guyana Star D. Shivmangal Kent Desormeaux 50-1
9 Paynter Bob Baffert Mike Smith 8-1
10 Optimizer D. Wayne Lukas Corey Nakatani 20-1
11 I’ll Have Another Doug O’Neill Mario Gutierrez 4-5
12 My Adonis Kelly Breen Ramon Dominguez 20-1
Weights: 126 pounds. Distance: 1½ miles. Purse: $1 million. First place: $600,000. Second place: $200,000. Third place: $110,000. Fourth place: $60,000. Fifth place: $30,000. Post time: 4:40 p.m.
