Stewart 'Feeling Good' About Tale of Verve
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Dallas Stewart, trainer of Charles Fipke's homebred Tale of Verve, finds himself in a familiar spot heading into Belmont Stakes (gr. I) June 6.
Tale of Verve is Stewart's third straight horse to take aim at the Belmont coming off a runner-up finish in a Triple Crown event. The Tale of Ekati colt closed in the slop to be second, seven lengths behind Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner American Pharoah, in the Xpressbet.com Preakness (gr. I) May 16.
"We've been good, but we've got to get it done. We've got to march over there and get it done," Stewart said. "I think he's a horse that's really bred for the distance. He can take it. He's got the stamina, he's got the pedigree. I think he's got the ability, so it's going to be a real good race for him. I'm feeling real good about it."
Tale of Verve has one win, two seconds, and two thirds to his credit in seven lifetime starts, winning a 1 3/16-mile maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and older April 23 at Keeneland immediately prior to the Preakness. He has been training at Belmont Park since then, including a five-furlong breeze in :59.02 May 30, the fastest of 23 moves at the distance.
Tuesday morning, Tale of Verve galloped once around Belmont's 1 1/2-mile main track. Gary Stevens, who has won the Belmont Stakes three times (1995, 1998, 2001) in his Hall of Fame career, will ride on Saturday.
"He went easy in the mud, looked good and had good energy. He's eating well and training well," Stewart said of Tale of Verve. "There's nothing left to do now. We'll just polish it off until the race and see what happens."
Over his career, the 55-year-old Stewart has been an upset winner at both the Breeders' Cup and in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) but has yet to register his first victory in a Triple Crown race. He had horses outrun their odds to finish second in the Kentucky Derby, with Golden Soul in 2013 and Commanding Curve in 2014, and Macho Again, second to Big Brown in the 2008 Preakness.
Golden Soul and Commanding Curve both finished ninth in their respective Belmonts, the latter in which California Chrome lost his bid for the Triple Crown in dead heating for fourth.
A victory in this year's Belmont will make American Pharoah the first horse to sweep the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, and the 12th overall.
"This is my job. This is what I do," Stewart said. "I can respect what they're trying to accomplish and if I don't win it, I hope he does. But, I'm out to win it."