BELMONT STAKES CAPSULES

Order of horses: By saddlecloth number. Odds: Morning line. Post time: 3:10 p.m. PDT. TV: Ch. 4 (Coverage starts 2 p.m. )

Note--No.7 Puzzlement scratched

*--* 1. ARTAX TOO (50-1) PP: 1. Jockey: Jose Santos. Trainer: Jennifer Leigh-Pedersen. Owner: Paraneck Stable Record: 5 starts, 2-0-1 (1st-2nd-3rd). Earnings: $59,830. Sire: Marquetry. Dam: Done With Pleasure Comment: The Virginia-bred colt has won two in a row but against much softer competition and deserves to be the longest shot in the field. Norberto Arroyo Jr. was supposed to ride Artax Too in the Belmont but lost the mount when owner Ernie Paragallo became incensed over the jockey’s ride on Magnificent Val in a turf race at Belmont last Sunday. The horse was disqualified for obvious interference in the stretch 2. LIKE A HERO (30-1) PP: 2. Jockey: Pat Day. Trainer: Beau Greely. Owner: Columbine Stable Record: 4-3-1-0. Earnings: $118,910. Sire: Pleasant Colony. Dam: Like a Hawk Comment: A victory in the Alydar Stakes, his third in a row, on May 23 at Hollywood Park earned Like A Hero a trip to the Belmont. Regular rider Laffit Pincay chose not to ride him this race as, after the Alydar, he openly questioned whether the colt was ready for Grade I competition. Greely believes Like A Hero will run well at 1 1/2 miles 3. WISEMAN’S FERRY (20-1) PP: 3. Jockey: Jorge Chavez. Trainer: Niall O’Callaghan. Owner: Finks, Sacks & Swifty Farm Record: 9-3-1-2. Earnings: $366,867. Sire: Hennessy. Dam: Emmaus Comment: A winner once in six starts on the turf in England and Ireland, the chestnut has won two of three on the dirt in this country. He has improved with every start and is the most likely pace rival for War Emblem. He was an impressive wire-to-wire winner in the Lone Star Derby run at 1 1/8 miles and won’t give up as easily in the Belmont as pace-setter Menacing Dennis did in the Preakness 4. ESSENCE OF DUBAI (30-1) PP: 4. Jockey: Jerry Bailey. Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor. Owner: Godolphin Racing Inc Record: 7-4-0-0. Earnings: $1,543,200. Sire: Pulpit. Dam: Epitome Comment: Like his Godolphin predecessors, Essence Of Dubai was hyped entering the Kentucky Derby, then flopped in the race. He finished ninth, beaten by 13 lengths, after winning two in a row in Dubai. This will be the third mount for Bailey in the Triple Crown. He finished out of the money with Castle Gandolfo in Kentucky and Medaglia d’Oro in the Preakness 5. SUNDAY BREAK (6-1) PP: 5. Jockey: Gary Stevens. Trainer: Neil Drysdale. Owner: Koji Maeda Record: 7-4-1-2. Earnings: $305,220. Sire: Forty Niner. Dam: Catequil Comment: He’ll try to do the same thing A.P. Indy, who was also trained by Drysdale, did 10 years ago: Follow a victory in the Peter Pan Stakes with another in the Belmont. Trouble is, this Japanese-bred doesn’t appear to be in the same class as A.P. Indy, who went on to win Horse of the Year honors. He beat a suspect field in the Peter Pan and it was his first stakes victory 6. PERFECT DRIFT (8-1) PP: 6. Jockey: Eddie Delahoussaye. Trainer: Murray Johnson. Owner: Stonecrest Farm Record: 7-3-3-1. Earnings: $467,160. Sire: Dynaformer. Dam: Nice Gal Comment: Perfect Drift was held out of the Preakness after finishing third--4 3/4 lengths behind War Emblem--in the Kentucky Derby. The horse continues to train well and would likely benefit from a fast, contested pace set by Wiseman’s Ferry and War Emblem. Delahoussaye has won two Belmonts, with Risen Star in 1988 and A.P. Indy in 1992 8. MEDAGLIA D’ORO (10-1) PP: 7. Jockey: Kent Desormeaux. Trainer: Bobby Frankel. Owner: Ed Gann Record: 7-3-3-1. Earnings: $364,720. Sire: El Prado. Dam: Cappucino Bay Comment: The second betting choice in the Preakness after a troubled trip in the Derby, Medaglia d’Oro ran horribly at Pimlico. He finished more than 17 lengths behind War Emblem and it didn’t look as if he would be running in the Belmont. However, Frankel decided to forge ahead, but maybe such an ambitious campaign has caught up to this colt. The Belmont will be his fourth Grade I race in less than two months 9. PROUD CITIZEN (5-1) PP: 8. Jockey: Mike Smith. Trainer: Wayne Lukas. Owner: Robert Baker, David Cornstein and Bill Mack Record: 8-2-2-1. Earnings: $532,117. Sire: Gone West. Dam: Drums Of Freedom Comment: Followed his second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby with a troubled third in the Preakness. At one point in the stretch in the Preakness, it looked as if he might go by War Emblem, but faltered late. He broke his maiden at Belmont by 9 1/4 lengths June 28, but that was against 2-year-old maidens going 5 1/2 furlongs 10. WAR EMBLEM (1-1) PP: 9. Jockey: Victor Espinoza. Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Thoroughbred Corp Record: 9-6-0-0. Earnings: $2,891,000. Sire: Our Emblem. Dam: Sweetest Lady Comment: The favorite to become the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since Affirmed in 1978. He has won four in a row since losing three of his first five career starts, but better 3-year-olds than him have failed to seal the deal after winning the Derby and the Preakness. He’ll take heat again up front and the question is whether he will be able to do that and last for 12 furlongs 11. MAGIC WEISNER (15-1) PP: 10. Jockey: Richard Migliore. Trainer: Nancy Alberts. Owner: Nancy Alberts Record: 11-6-3-0. Earnings: $433,110. Sire: Ameri Valay. Dam: Jazema Comment: The Maryland-bred gave his supporters a thrill in the Preakness as he finished strong, closing to claim second at 45-1. The odds will be a lot smaller today and now we’ll see if he can run well outside his home state. All his starts have come at either Laurel or Pimlico. He has finished first or second in his last nine races 12. SARAVA (30-1) PP: 11. Jockey: Edgar Prado. Trainer: Ken McPeek. Owner: New Phoenix Stable Record: 8-2-3-0. Earnings: $96,851. Sire: Wild Again. Dam: Rhythm Of Life Comment: Having failed in the first two legs of the Triple Crown with Harlan’s Holiday, McPeek tries with this $250,000 2-year-old purchase. Sarava won the Sir Barton on the Preakness undercard, but the Belmont will be his first attempt in a graded stakes. Since switching to the dirt after arriving from England, he has not been worse than third in five races, winning twice

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