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Charitable Man, Dunkirk Work at Belmont Park For The Belmont Stakes 2009
Charitable Man and Dunkirk, who could be the second and third horse betting picks behind Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in Saturday’s 141st running of the $1-million Belmont Stakes 2009, turned in their final works at Belmont Park.
Charitable Man covered a half-mile in 49.00 with exercise rider Renzo Morales aboard. Dunkirk went the same distance in 49.57 under jockey John Velazquez.
“Last week he went off a little fast for our liking, so in coaching him, he went off better today and therefore, a little slower, but we were very happy with it,” said race horse trainer Kiaran McLaughlin of Charitable Man, winner of the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 9. “We believe he’s a fit horse, happy and healthy, and he doesn’t need those :46 works. We’re ready to go.”
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren, Jr., Charitable Man won both his starts at age 2, including the Futurity at Belmont Park, and finished seventh in the Blue Grass Stakes over PolyTrack at Keeneland in his 3-year-old debut.
“We feel we’ve got the horse to beat,” added race horse trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who saddled 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil. “Mine That Bird we have a lot of respect for, Dunkirk, and other horses, but I wouldn’t trade places with anyone. We’ve got a fresh horse, he’s 2-for-2 on this racetrack, just won impressively here four weeks ago and he couldn’t be training any better. We’re very confident.”
Dunkirk
Race horse trainer Todd Pletcher said he was happy with Dunkirk’s maintenance move, accomplished in company with Monba, the 4-year-old who won last year’s Blue Grass Stakes.
“He did it very easily,” said race horse trainer Todd Pletcher of Dunkirk, who won his first two starts this year, finished second to Quality Road in the Florida Derby and was then 11th over a sloppy, sealed track in the Kentucky Derby. “He’s got terrific action, a smooth, fluid strike. I feel he’s a top-quality horse, and has run well in three of his four races. The Derby, to me, I have to put a line through that race. I felt he didn’t handle the surface at all in that race.”
Todd Pletcher said he thought Charitable Man was the horse to beat in the Belmont Stakes.
“At this point, Charitable Man is going to be on an uncontested, easy lead,” said Todd Pletcher, winner of the 2007 Belmont Stakes with the filly Rags to Riches. “That’s my biggest concern, aside from the fact he’s probably the horse to beat to begin with, and now he’s got a pace advantage. He’s coming off a Peter Pan win, he’s 2-for-2, and basically he’s never been beaten on the dirt … it’s going to be hard to catch a quality horse like Charitable Man if he gets a half in :49.”
Although remote, the trainer did not rule out the possibility of entering a “rabbit” to ensure an honest pace in the Belmont, which last year was won in wire-to-wire fashion by longshot Da’ Tara.
“I might talk to (owners) Mrs. John Magnier, Mr. Michael Tabor and Mr. Derrick Smith, and see what their thoughts are, but at this point, we haven’t talked about it,” said Todd Pletcher. “Probably not.”
Other Belmont Stakes entries are: Brave Victory, Chocolate Candy, Flying Private, Luv Gov, Miner’s Escape, Mine That Bird, Mr. Hot Stuff, Summer Bird and possibly Nowhere To Hide.
Horse racing news edited from www.nyra.com.
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