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Belmont cries out for Pat Day Tuesday, Jun 6, 2006 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Pat Day must be a left brain guy, one of those who uses information piece by piece to solve a math problem. No jockey was ever better computing pace during the heat of a race, the tick-tock in his head accurate to a fifth of a second. Thoroughbred racing or distance running, pace makes the race. For a rider, the only clock is between the ears. In Sacramento, Calif., at the NCAA championships this week, the distance runners will get help on each lap from somebody hollering the elapsed time. Day's preciseness while negotiating traffic at 40 mph came to mind while looking at the past performances of the dozen or so horses expected to run in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. The 1 1-2-mile race cries out for a rider who can have his horse on the lead, galloping along at a leisurely clip. Day, who retired last year after riding more than 8,800 winners, including more than 1,100 at Oaklawn Park, did that thing he does so well at the Belmont in 2000. That June day, he put Commendable in behind Hugh Hefner, who was certain to be the early leader in the field of 11. After a dawdling half-mile in 49.29 and equally dawdling mile in more than 1:39, Day sent Commendable to the lead and he opened up 2 1-2 lengths. Last early, favored Aptitude finished stoutly, but the lead was too much and he finished second. An 18-1 shot, Commendable had won only a maiden race prior to the Belmont. Aptitude was the favorite by default - both Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and Preakness winner Red Bullet passed the race, the first time that had happened since 1970. On Saturday, both Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini will be absent - Barbaro to recuperate from surgery and Bernardini to rest for Saratoga. Those expected to enter the Belmont are so undistinguished that there is a question about who will be the favorite. It could be Bluegrass Cat; like Aptitude, he was second in the Derby. It could be Sunriver, who won a stakes race at Belmont on May 20 but was excluded from the Derby because his bankroll was shy of graded earnings. For all the wrong reasons, Arkansas Derby runner-up Steppenwolfer and Wood Memorial runner-up Jazil will get support. Both have a late-running style that appears to be tailor made for the Belmont, a quarter-mile longer than the Derby. Eleventh early in the Arkansas Derby, Steppenwolfer was 13th at Churchill Downs before closing for third. Last in Louisville, Jazil finished fourth in the 1 1-4-mile race. At the Belmont, such horses fit the eye and ruin the bankroll. Anticipating the lack of pace, trainer Kirian McLaughlin has said he wants Jazil much closer to the leaders than he was in Louisville. If Dan Peitz asks the same of Steppenwolfer, he risks the backfire that sometimes goes with a reversal of style. Making his stakes debut, High Finance is most likely to be in front early. In April, he won by more than nine lengths, but that's nothing to be excited about because the winners of maiden races are often daylight in front at Keeneland. On May 4, he led almost every step and recorded a good time while winning a mile race by five lengths at Belmont - an encouraging note. Eibar Coa was in the saddle for the first time that day and he will be present again Saturday. If the Belmont is nothing more than a good race for 3-year-olds, High Finance can compete. If it is more and he is in too deep, Bluegrass Cat and Bob and John are the proven commodities most likely to benefit. Other than Barbaro, Bluegrass Cat was about the only other Derby horse who was close to the pace and lasted until the end. The question is whether he finished second because somebody had to be second. He will be reunited with John Velazquez, who has been out of action since April with an injury. Bob and John never did anything wrong until the Derby, when he finished 17th. One bad race is forgivable, particularly when that race is the Derby. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
