'There's pressure, we definitely don't want to have a bunch of horses nominated and not be a factor in the races,' Cox said, per David Grening of Daily Racing Form. Angel of Empire's jockey, Flavien Prat, has never won the Belmont but won the 2019 Kentucky Derby with Country House and the 2021 Preakness Stakes with Rombauer.Īngel of Empire is one of three horses trained by Cox in the field, along with Hit Show and late addition Tapit Shoes.Ĭox trained Essential Quality and will be disappointed if having such a large chunk of the field doesn't yield his second win in the final leg of the Triple Crown. It's worth noting that the two horses who finished in front of Angel of Empire in early May, Mage and Two Phil's-aren't in the Belmont field. Cox-trained horse, followed up two consecutive victories-including one at the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby-with a third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.

Jockey Luis Saez won the 2021 Belmont Stakes atop Essential Quality.Īngel of Empire, a Brad H. Tapit Trice came in off of four consecutive wins but finished seventh at Churchill Downs. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who will be guiding Forte, won last year's Belmont Stakes atop Mo Donegal. Leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Forte had won five straight races and was considered a legitimate Derby contender. It was exactly what we were hoping he would go out there and do and I think based off the strength of his breezes, he's coming into it as well as we hope,' Pletcher said, per a New York Racing Association press release. Trainer Todd Pletcher had Forte and Tapit Trice on the track Saturday for their final breezes.įorte 'came back and cooled out quickly. The three-year-old was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list and will see his first action since the Florida Derby on April 1. However, National Treasure is not the overall favorite and will face some strong competition from the likes of Forte, Angel of Empire and Tapit Trice.įorte was expected to have a strong showing at the Kentucky Derby but was a late scratch due to a foot injury. Jockey John Velazquez, who steered National Treasure to the Preakness victory, will be back in the saddle on Saturday. The Bob Baffert-trained horse had a strong performance at the Preakness and will again face a field lacking in early speed. National Treasure was among the pre-draw favorites, which wasn't surprising. Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images American Pharoah's here, and it's hard to blame the sporting world for slowing down and enjoying the moment-Baffert, Espinoza and the horse himself sure are.Forte with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Uncle Mo(USA) - Callingmissbrown right (USA) wins the Belmont Stakes (G1) trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. In the finisher, the duo thumped fresher horses, contestants bred to excel at the distance and some of the best horses the sport has had to offer in recent years.Ī Triple Crown winner only comes around so often for a reason. Then they avoided getting pinned on the rail out of the post position in Pimlico. Espinoza and the Triple Crown winner overcame a poor post position at Churchill Downs, even flirting with winless No. There's no way to understate the impressiveness. It will be interesting to see where Baffert heads next with one of the most prestigious names in the sport's history, but breeding and possible future races can wait. The above makes American Pharoah's triumph all the more impressive. For a moment, the ride by jockey Kent Desormeaux planted a shred of doubt about the odds of a Triple Crown winner.

TimeformUS 123 TimeformUS Speed Figure yesterday? It tops each of the prior six Belmont winners.ĭale Romans's Keen Ice wasn't the biggest name of all but a strong competitor nonetheless after a seventh-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.

Irad ortiz injury video