Belmont Stakes / Wednesday notes

Big Brown's hoof cool and draining;
Casino Drive gallops, Prado has the call

Both Big Brown and Casino Drive, the undefeated principal figures in the June 7 Belmont Stakes, galloped at Belmont Park on Wednesday. Neither did much. Both looked terrific.

Hoof-repair specialist Ian McKinlay said that the abscess in Big Brown’s cracked left-fore hoof has ruptured and drained, leaving a small hole that is, “a little deeper than I expected it to be.” The hoof, he said, is cool. “We’re trying to stay out of the way and let nature take its course.”

Casino Drive was expected to undertake a more serious piece of training but will not be asked for any more in the morning. He, like Big Brown, is an impressive physical specimen and bears a marked similarity in color and size to his sister, Rags to Riches, winner of last year’s Belmont. He was under restraint during his Wednesday gallop and complied kindly with the rider.

Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto: “At the moment, we are pleased with him and we will not go any faster in the mornings. We walk him fast one hour before he goes to the track, warming up muscle and tendon; it’s good. Then, we go to the track. Then, he walks again nearly one hour to cool down. That’s what we do in Japan, and we will do it here.”

Tada said that Edgar Prado has been engaged to ride Casino Drive in the Belmont.

“We have a commitment with Edgar Prado for the Belmont Stakes, and on behalf of the owner (Hidetoshi Yamamoto) and the trainer (Kazuo Fujisawa), we appreciate the interest from all of the jockeys from all over the country in riding him in the Belmont Stakes. The fact that so many jockeys were interested in riding him encouraged us even more to run in the Belmont. There are so many good jockeys here and it was a very difficult decision to pick up the right one.

“The reason we decided on Edgar was his experience in the Belmont Stakes. I think he is the best choice.”

Prado has ridden in eight Belmont Stakes, winning in 2002 with Sarava when War Emblem was attempting a sweep of the series, and in 2004 with Birdstone at the expense of would-be Triple Crown winner Smarty Jones. Sarava paid $142.50, the highest $2 win payoff in Belmont Stakes history.

Only one Belmont starter had a timed work on Wednesday. Tomcito, who had a myectomy three days after his seventh-place finish in the May 10 Peter Pan and now has a rider change, broke no timing devices in a 7-furlong, 1:29.88 move.

“He did what we wanted,” said trainer Dante Zanelli. “The idea was to let him stretch out and get [Alan] Garcia adjusted to him. He was happy with the breeze. I didn’t want to do anything fast.”

Garcia will replace Cornelio Velasquez aboard Tomcito for the Belmont.

“My uncle started Alan Garcia in Peru, and this is what the owners and my uncle wanted,” said Zanelli. “This is taking away nothing from Cornelio, he rode a good race, it was just that the horse displaced [his palate].” --PM