Belmont Stakes Contenders Big Brown, Tale of Ekati, Tomcito Work
Belmont Stakes contender and Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown, with exercise rider Michelle Nevin aboard, had his first gallop since developing a slight quarter crack in his left foot.
“Today the foot has cooled out and he’s getting pretty antsy, as you can see, in the barn so the best thing for him is to get him to the track and let him do what he wants to do,” said hoof specialist Ian McKinlay, who on Monday repaired the five-eighths inch-long crack by lacing it together with stainless steel wires.
Tuesday morning, after having remained in the barn over the Memorial Day weekend, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner had a jog around the track.
“The first thing we looked at this morning, you can go around the hairline and where there was an abscess it drained, so you have a pocket and physically you can feel a little hole,” said McKinlay Wednesday. “It’s definitely improving. Both feet are the same temperature. When one foot is warmer than the other is when you have a problem. The skin is drying right out and the horse seems fabulous.”
McKinlay said Nevin reported the colt “felt great” and appeared very “comfortable.”
Looking ahead, McKinlay said a patch of an acrylic adhesive, along with some fiberglass mesh, would be applied to the hoof, probably within two days.
“As far as patching now we’ll come back Friday,” he said. “We’re just trying to stay out of the way and let nature take its course.”
McKinlay said the colt will not breeze until the patch is in place.
Tale of Ekati
Assistant trainer Robin Smullen reported that Tale of Ekati, one of the Belmont Stakes entries, galloped a mile over the main track at Belmont Park and that his schedule would remain the same after Monday’s six furlong move in 1:18.97, which was in fact the fastest of three at the distance.
“The track was slow,” said Smullen. “We plan on breezing him back on Sunday.”
Tomcito
Horse trainer Dante Zanelli’s Belmont Stakes horse, Tomcito, who underwent a myectomy three days after his seventh-place finish in the May 10 Peter Pan, had his first serious move since then, going seven furlongs in 1:29.88 Wednesday morning.
“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 jockey Cornelio Velasquez aboard Tomcito for the 2008 Belmont Stakes, said Zanelli.
“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].”
Next week, Zanelli said Tomcito might gallop once around “and finish the last half.
“He’ll show us what he needs,” said the trainer.
Edited from www.nyra.com.
"Belmont Stakes Contenders Big Brown, Tale of Ekati, Tomcito Work" was posted on 28 May 2008 10:53 PM under Belmont Stakes, Horse Racing News, Horses, Stakes Races
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