Derby winner Mystik Dan faces strong Belmont field
While there’s no Triple Crown in play, there’s still plenty of intrigue surrounding the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
For starters, the horse race will be run at historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York., a couple of hours upstate from Belmont Park, where construction of a new grandstand is expected to take several years. Consequently, the so-called Test of the Champion will be shortened from its traditional 1 distance to 1 miles due to the track configuration.
With the purse increased to $2 million, a strong field has assembled, including the first- and second-place finishers in the Kentucky Derby and three of the top four from the Preakness Stakes.
Coverage of Belmont Stakes Day begins on FS1 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT, with Fox picking up the races including the headliner until 7, before post-Belmont Stakes race coverage ends on FS2 until 8:10.
A look at the Belmont Stakes field, by post position and including the morning-line odds:
1. Seize The Grey (8-1)
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Jamie Torres
The Preakness winner is a contender that’s shown incredible improvement, going wire-to-wire in the Preakness to win by 2 lengths and picked up a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. That performance came after the colt picked up a first stakes win in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Derby Day, the first graded-stakes win of Torres’ career, after the horse was seventh in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes.
2. Resilience (10-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Made a strong move in the Kentucky Derby, challenging Mystik Dan as they hit the mile mark, before finishing sixth. Had an impressive win in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 6, beating 106-1 Society Man by 2 lengths. Was beaten 3 lengths by