Tale of Ekati, Big Brown, Ready’s Echo Work For The Belmont Stakes; Tomcito Will Not Run

Posted on Sunday, June 1st, 2008

Aqueduct‘s Wood Memorial winner and confirmed Belmont Stakes contender, Tale of Ekati, worked six furlongs in 1:11.99, breezing, on the muddy main track at Belmont Park this morning.

After two works that were less than what horse trainer Barclay Tagg had hoped for, Tale of Ekati finally got the move he needed to set him up for a return match against Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown in the 140th running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 7, at Belmont Park. Belmont Stakes post time is 6:25 pm.

Online Horse BettingBig Brown, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, is hoping to become racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner and first since Affirmed 30 years ago. Big Brown is undefeated, and will be making his sixth career start in the Belmont Stakes.

Only Seattle Slew, in 1977, has won the Triple Crown while undefeated.

Horse trainer Barclay Tagg, who five years ago guided New York-bred Funny Cide to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, was less than happy with Tale of Ekati’s bullet half-mile of :46 4/5 on May 20 and completely disgusted with the colt’s six-furlong move of 1:18 /5 on May 26 under jockey Eibar Coa.

“This was the move I was hoping for last week,” Tagg said. “Now, you can only hope that it wasn’t too much for him. Everything seems to be going well now, and we’re back on schedule.”

In the Wood Memorial, Tale of Ekati stalked 2007 juvenile champion War Pass and then powered to the victory in the lane. In the Kentucky Derby, he finished fourth, beaten 11 lengths by Big Brown after a troubled trip.

“The Belmont is a tough race, and Big Brown is a togh horse,” Tagg said. “But if you’ve got a horse that is doing well, you have to take a chance. We’re back on schedule today, and this horse loves Belmont Park (2-for-2). I hope he runs his race.” Coa will maintain the mount for the Belmont Stakes.

Big Brown

Big Brown went out for his usual gallop Sunday morning around the Belmont Park oval under exercise rider Michelle Nevin, drawing applause from the “Breakfast at Belmont” crowd as he passed by the grandstand. “He was very cheeky,” reported Nevin. “He had a basic gallop again today. He felt good. He knows something is going on because all these people are around him all the time, clapping for him in the grandstand.”

Nevin confirmed that Big Brown will have an acrylic and fiberglass patch placed on the small quarter-crack on his left front foot on Monday, and that he is scheduled to breeze on Tuesday morning.

Ready’s Echo

Ready’s Echo worked five furlongs over the fast training track Sunday morning in 1:00.91 and is on target for the Belmont Stakes, said trainer Todd Pletcher. “We’re very happy with the way he went,” said Pletcher, who trains last year’s Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches, the first filly to win the race in 102 years.

Pletcher said a jockey had not yet been determined for the son of More Than Ready, who brings a record of one victory, two seconds and one third from four starts to the race.

Tomcito

Tomcito, who was third to Big Brown in Gulfstream Park‘s Florida Derby and seventh to Casino Drive in the Peter Pan, will not start in the Belmont Stakes, according to trainer Dante Zanelli. Zanelli said the son of Street Cry was suffering from a “reaction” but did not specify what caused it. “It’s very depressing,” he said.

Edited from www.nyra.com.

"Tale of Ekati, Big Brown, Ready’s Echo Work For The Belmont Stakes; Tomcito Will Not Run" was posted on Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Belmont Park, Belmont Stakes, Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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