Golden Glider , owned by Gary Barber in partnership with Manfred and Penny Conrad, breezed a half-mile in :49.90 the morning of June 5 on the main track at Belmont Park in preparation for the June 11 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
NYRA clockers caught Golden Glider, with exercise rider Kylie Wellington up, through a quarter-mile in :26.20 and out in 1:02.80.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, who won the 2019 Belmont Stakes with Sir Winston , said he was pleased with the work. "I thought he worked really well. He settled early, which is what you want out of a Belmont horse, and flew home," Casse said.
The son of Ghostzapper was a distant second last out to returning rival We the People in the nine-furlong Peter Pan Stakes (G3) on May 14, the traditional local prep for the Belmont Stakes. The top-two finishers of the Peter Pan had their Belmont Stakes entry and starting fees waived.
Casse said he is confident that Golden Glider will get the 1 1/2-mile Belmont distance and that jockey Dylan Davis can work out a stalking trip.
"I'm not worried about the mile and a half, it's just how long it's going to take him," Casse said with a laugh. "He's a one-paced type of horse, so I'm hoping he'll have a similar trip like Sir Winston. In his previous races, Sir Winston used to come from the clouds, but in the Belmont, Joel Rosario kept him close enough, and I could see the same thing happening Saturday with Dylan."
Davis, who won his first NYRA riding title at the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet, will look to secure his first victory in a Triple Crown race.
Trainer Rodolphe Brisset said fellow Belmont Stakes hopeful We the People exited his half-mile breeze on Saturday in good order and that all is in order for a run in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
“That was one of his best works ever,” Brisset said of the four-furlong drill in :47.59. “It was a little quicker than what we were looking for, but it didn’t feel like he was going that fast. The way he did it was exactly what you’re looking for a week out from the race. He cleaned his feed tub and got shod, and we’ll bring him back tomorrow to gallop a mile.”
Meanwhile, Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Rich Strike continued to train up to the Belmont Stakes with a 1 1/2-mile lap around the Belmont oval Sunday morning.
“We backed him up half a mile today, and tomorrow we’ll probably let him have another two-mile gallop,” said trainer Eric Reed. “He’s definitely enjoying himself and came back really perky. He’s appreciating everything.”
Rich Strike is expected to continue his daily routine of galloping and schooling up until the race. He will likely school in the paddock during the races on Thursday or Friday.