Belmont Day Begins With Downpour
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As if American Pharoah did not have enough going for him in his quest for the Triple Crown in the June 6 Belmont Stakes presented by DraftKings (gr. I), there was a torrential downpour early with more rain forecast for later in the day.
The rain began Saturday, shortly after the track opened for training at 5 a.m. EDT, and continued steadily and sometimes hard for more than an hour.
Belmont Park track maintenance sealed the inner part of the dirt track and had the "dogs" (orange cones) set up to keep horses from training over that part of the surface during the limited training hours that ended at 8 a.m.
According to Weather.com, thunderstorms are forecast for Elmont, N. Y., beginning around 10:45 a.m. and there is a chance for light rain later in the afternoon.
With the rain having subsided by 8:30 a.m., the maintenance crew again sealed the inner two-thirds of the track.
Glen Kozak, track superintendent, said the main track will be rated fast and the turf course good by first post time of 11:35 a.m.
One early arrival who wasn't unhappy to see the rain was Dallas Stewart, trainer of Tale of Verve, who closed well over a sloppy track at Pimlico Race Course to finish second, seven lengths behind American Pharoah in the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I) over a sloppy track.
After giving his colt a quick inspection, Stewart said he's ready for the Belmont.
Meanwhile, as the rain pelted the stable area, all was quiet at Barn 1 where American Pharoah is stabled for his date with destiny. The colt, who won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) previous to his Preakness romp, rolled to a 6 1/4-length victory in the Rebel Stakes (gr. II) over a sloppy Oaklawn Park surface.
"When I saw the rain, I saw 'Wow, that's all American Pharoah needs'," said Trevor Brown, assistant to Mike de Kock, who has Mubtaahij in the Belmont.
Among the Belmont contenders who did leave their barns were Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) winner Frosted, who went to the training track, and Frammento, who jogged around the main track with a pony.