Swale Win Could Send Lost in the Fog Down Triple Crown Trail Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

A trip down the Triple Crown Trail could be on the line when Northern California-based Lost in the Fog leads a field of 11 runners to the gate for the March 5 Swale Stakes (gr. II), going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park.
Lost in the Fog, who will carry 120 pounds, will break from the far outside post 11 under regular jockey Russell Baze.
Owner Harry Aleo did not nominate Lost in the Fog to the Triple Crown when the early deadline passed three weeks ago. Trainer Greg Gilchrist said a good race in the Swale would lead Aleo to pay the $6,000 supplementary fee.
"We'll definitely put up the money, and we'll definitely look for a two-turn race," said Gilchrist. "If he runs here and runs well, the Derby will definitely become our goal."
The son of Lost Soldier made his 3-year-old debut by winning the Jan. 29 six-furlong Ocala Stud Sunshine Millions Dash at Gulfstream Park.
Lost in the Fog broke his maiden by seven lengths at first asking and followed that effort with a 14-length romp in the Arizona Juvenile Stakes.
"Maybe it's because I've been around a while," said Gilchrist. "Don't get me wrong. The number one thing I would want to do is run in the Kentucky Derby (grade I, May 7 at Churchill Downs), but no matter what, tomorrow is going to come. You've got the horse. You've got the races that get you there, but if you ruin the horse along the way, the Derby will come along and it won't matter."
Gilchrist has said the opportunity to run in the Sunshine Millions' - a race restricted to horses bred in Florida or California - altered the way he would have trained another promising 3-year-old bred someplace else.
"That race kept us in a sprint, and it also kept us from staying home," the conditioner said. "I would have liked to get him around two turns by now, but the main thing is to not really rush him. We don't want to jeopardize his future."
While Lost in the Fog will attract a lot of attention, the field of 11 starters is littered with talent.
Another horse to watch could be 122-pound highweight Santana Strings, who will break from post two under jockey John Velazquez.
Trained by Steve Asmussen for Ro Parra, Santana Strings and Lost in the Fog clashed in the Ocala Stud Dash, with Santana Strings finishing four-lengths behind in second.
Santana Strings will break from post two under jockey John Velazquez carrying a high-weight of 122 pounds.
Canadian invader What's Up Dude should be another top runner to watch. The Swale will mark the 3-year-old debut for the son of Furiously.
As a juvenile racing at Woodbine, What's Up Dude won the Swynford Stakes and finished third in the Silver Deputy Stakes for trainer Michael Mareina and owner Kuehne Racing.
The field for the March 5 $150,000 Swale Stakes (gr. II) includes:1-- What's Up Dude (Jose A. Santos, 120)2-- Santana Strings (John R. Velazquez, 122)3--Around the Cape (Eibar Coa, 116)4-- B Trick (Gerry Bacchas, 116)5--Port Town (Cornelio H. Velasquez, 116)6--Straight Line (Brice Blanc, 118)7--Up Like Thunder (Joe Bravo, 116)8--Evil Minister (Jerry D. Bailey, 116)9--More Smoke (Clinton L. Potts, 118)10--United (Ramon A. Dominguez, 116)11--Lost in the Fog (Russell A. Baze, 120)

Swale Win Could Send Lost in the Fog Down Triple Crown Trail Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

A trip down the Triple Crown Trail could be on the line when Northern California-based Lost in the Fog leads a field of 11 runners to the gate for the March 5 Swale Stakes (gr. II), going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park.
Lost in the Fog, who will carry 120 pounds, will break from the far outside post 11 under regular jockey Russell Baze.
Owner Harry Aleo did not nominate Lost in the Fog to the Triple Crown when the early deadline passed three weeks ago. Trainer Greg Gilchrist said a good race in the Swale would lead Aleo to pay the $6,000 supplementary fee.
"We'll definitely put up the money, and we'll definitely look for a two-turn race," said Gilchrist. "If he runs here and runs well, the Derby will definitely become our goal."
The son of Lost Soldier made his 3-year-old debut by winning the Jan. 29 six-furlong Ocala Stud Sunshine Millions Dash at Gulfstream Park.
Lost in the Fog broke his maiden by seven lengths at first asking and followed that effort with a 14-length romp in the Arizona Juvenile Stakes.
"Maybe it's because I've been around a while," said Gilchrist. "Don't get me wrong. The number one thing I would want to do is run in the Kentucky Derby (grade I, May 7 at Churchill Downs), but no matter what, tomorrow is going to come. You've got the horse. You've got the races that get you there, but if you ruin the horse along the way, the Derby will come along and it won't matter."
Gilchrist has said the opportunity to run in the Sunshine Millions' - a race restricted to horses bred in Florida or California - altered the way he would have trained another promising 3-year-old bred someplace else.
"That race kept us in a sprint, and it also kept us from staying home," the conditioner said. "I would have liked to get him around two turns by now, but the main thing is to not really rush him. We don't want to jeopardize his future."
While Lost in the Fog will attract a lot of attention, the field of 11 starters is littered with talent.
Another horse to watch could be 122-pound highweight Santana Strings, who will break from post two under jockey John Velazquez.
Trained by Steve Asmussen for Ro Parra, Santana Strings and Lost in the Fog clashed in the Ocala Stud Dash, with Santana Strings finishing four-lengths behind in second.
Santana Strings will break from post two under jockey John Velazquez carrying a high-weight of 122 pounds.
Canadian invader What's Up Dude should be another top runner to watch. The Swale will mark the 3-year-old debut for the son of Furiously.
As a juvenile racing at Woodbine, What's Up Dude won the Swynford Stakes and finished third in the Silver Deputy Stakes for trainer Michael Mareina and owner Kuehne Racing.
The field for the March 5 $150,000 Swale Stakes (gr. II) includes:1-- What's Up Dude (Jose A. Santos, 120)2-- Santana Strings (John R. Velazquez, 122)3--Around the Cape (Eibar Coa, 116)4-- B Trick (Gerry Bacchas, 116)5--Port Town (Cornelio H. Velasquez, 116)6--Straight Line (Brice Blanc, 118)7--Up Like Thunder (Joe Bravo, 116)8--Evil Minister (Jerry D. Bailey, 116)9--More Smoke (Clinton L. Potts, 118)10--United (Ramon A. Dominguez, 116)11--Lost in the Fog (Russell A. Baze, 120)

Funny Cide primed for Breeders' Cup Classic Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

A racing sensation one minute, an also-ran the next, the popular chestnut gelding is back to his winning ways and primed for Saturday's $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
Funny Cide is headed to Lone Star Park off perhaps the best race of his career, a gutty win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 2.
"He acted like the champion I know he is," jockey Jose Santos said. "He's stronger, more intelligent. A lot of people were thinking Funny Cide is a fluke. I want to show them he isn't."
The 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner gets a chance to end his 4-year-old season in style when he takes on returning Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect, Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, plus Roses in May and Ghostzapper, both unbeaten this year. Toss in 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri, too, after trainer D. Wayne Lukas said the 6-year-old mare will run in the Classic, not the Distaff.
Funny Cide appears ready for any horse.
"He's doing better than he ever has in his life," trainer Barclay Tagg said Tuesday from New York after Funny Cide had his final workout at Belmont Park. "It'll be tough, but my horse is fit."
Until the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Funny Cide was having a solid _ but far from exceptional -- campaign after nearly winning the Triple Crown. He had won two of eight races, but finished second twice and third three times. He lost the Suburban by a neck and the MassCap by a nose, and those were difficult to accept.
"Discouraging, certainly, but he ran well and that's all you can ask," said Sackatoga Stable managing partner Jack Knowlton, one of the fun-loving, former high school pals who own Funny Cide. "We've been bridesmaids a few times, but we knew our luck was going to turn. And now we're really looking forward to the Classic."
A Classic win would atone for a perplexing 16 months. After losing the Belmont Stakes to Empire Maker in his Triple try, the New York-bred ran a dull third in the Haskell Invitational in his next start, then spiked a fever and missed the Travers. Then, Knowlton and Co. made a last-minute decision to enter Funny Cide in the Classic at Santa Anita.
The move backfired. Funny Cide beat only one horse, finishing ninth under Julie Krone in a race run with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees and in a smoky environment caused by wildfires. Santos, who had ridden Funny Cide in all his previous races, was unavailable because he had committed to ride Volponi in the Classic.
"Nothing worked for us last year," Tagg said. "Julie wasn't used to him. It was too hot and he doesn't like it hot. It was an unfortunate race."
This time, the vibes are much better.
Santos is back on Funny Cide after missing a second ride aboard the son of Distorted Humor in August with a broken arm. He watched as Funny Cide -- with Edgar Prado aboard -- made his long-awaited Saratoga debut by finishing a well-beaten second to Evening Attire in the Saratoga Breeders' Cup.
Tagg and the owners have been on the same page with Funny Cide's schedule, and the horse has cooperated with a healthy year and his huge win in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup.
"Last year at this time, we were reaching," Knowlton said. "This year, he's clearly earned his way here. We feel he is legitimately one of the top handicap horses and belongs in this race."
Even with a win, Funny Cide has virtually no shot at being named champion older horse. Classic contenders Pleasantly Perfect, Roses in May and Ghostzapper will battle it out for that honor. But there can be little argument that Funny Cide remains among the most popular horses in training.
When Funny Cide finally ran at Saratoga, a near-record crowd of 70,175 showed up.
"The crowd was humungous," Tagg said. "The race before Funny Cide's, I went up to be in the paddock. And the crowd was 10-deep all the way around and down to the racetrack. And they were just staring at an empty paddock, waiting for Funny Cide to walk in there. And that would be another 20 minutes. I was utterly amazed."
Funny Cide is sure to draw a crowd when he shows up at Lone Star on Wednesday with assistant trainer and exercise rider Robin Smullen. Tagg plans to arrive Friday.
As for Knowlton and his gang, who rented yellow school buses to transport their entourage to last year's Triple Crown races, the Breeders' Cup count is up to 60. Bus plans aren't in the works for this trip, though.
"I kind of feel like I did when we were going into the Derby," Knowlton said. "If things go perfectly right and we get a good trip, we'll have a reasonable shot."

Horse racing: Breeders' Cup Classic could prove memorable Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

A year after winning a record four Breeders' Cup races, trainer Richard Mandella is back with only one chance. That chance, though, is with Pleasantly Perfect, who will try to become the second horse to win the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic two years in a row.


BREEDERS' CUP
What: Eight races, highlighted by the Classic, where Richard Mandella-trained Pleasantly Perfect is out to become the second horse to win it two consecutive years.
When: 1 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Lone Star Park, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: WPXI



"He's as good or better than he's ever been," Mandella said. "In the last year, he's gotten smarter and better in his racing ... It's more than one person could ask for."
Pleasantly Perfect was the early 3-1 favorite this week after pre-entries for the eight-race, $14 million Breeders' Cup Saturday at Lone Star Park0. A total of 101 horses were pre-entered, with seven horses cross-entered.
Even without Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones around, the Classic is shaping up to be a doozy of a race.
Also among the 13 Classic pre-entries are Funny Cide, last year's 2003 Derby and Preakness winner, coming off a big win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup; Belmont Stakes and Travers winner Birdstone; and perhaps 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri -- not to mention two horses who are unbeaten this year in Roses in May and Ghostzapper.
"Our Classic field is one of the more competitive and entertaining that I've seen in a while," said D.G. Van Clief, president of the Breeders' Cup and commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Azeri, winner of the Spinster Stakes in her last race, was also pre-entered in the $2 million BC Distaff, a race she won two years ago but missed last year with an injury. A final decision could come before Wednesday.
"We're pretty much sitting on the fence," Azeri owner Michael Paulson said after consulting with trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
Tiznow won the Classic in 2000 and 2001.
Four of the Breeders' Cup races drew full 14-horse fields, with three -- the Juvenile Fillies, the Mile and the Sprint -- oversubscribed. Final fields are determined by a two-tiered ranking system.
Smarty Jones, retired after his Triple Crown try was spoiled by Birdstone in the Belmont, remains the favorite to win Horse of the Year, but a Classic win by one of several horses could make the final vote interesting.
Trainers Todd Pletcher and Bobby Frankel have the most pre-entries with six each. Pletcher has a horse in six races; Frankel has horses in five.
Among Pletcher's starters are 3-1 favorite Speightstown in the $1 million Sprint, Newfoundland in the Classic and Proud Accolade in the $1.5 million Juvenile. Frankel's contingent includes 4-1 favorite Nothing to Lose in the $1.5 million Mile, 7-2 second choice Ghostzapper in the Classic and defending Sprint champion Cajun Beat.
Azeri is the 6-5 favorite for the Distaff, which also includes Grade 1 stakes winners Island Fashion, Society Selection, Stellar Jayne and Storm Flag Flying. Sightseek, perhaps the top female this year, was retired after winning the Beldame Oct. 9.
The Juvenile, which usually determines the early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby, drew a smaller than usual field of eight. Among them are three handled by Derby-driven trainers Lukas, Nick Zito and Bob Baffert. Lukas has Consolidator; Zito has Sun King; and Baffert has 2-1 favorite Roman Ruler -- the trainer's only Breeders' Cup starter.
The $1 million Juvenile Fillies includes 5-2 favorite Sweet Catomine, Balletto and Sense of Style.
In the $2 million Turf, Kitten's Joy is the 9-5 top choice in an 11-horse field. The 3-year-old colt owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey has won six of seven starts this year. Also pre-entered were Balto Star, Magistretti and Europe-based Powerscourt and the 3-year-old filly Ouija Board.
The Mile drew the largest field at 19, including defending champion Six Perfections.
The Filly & Mare Turf will have seven foreign-bred horses, including Frankel's Light Jig and Katdogawn -- both from England. Also in the field is Riskaverse, winner of the Flower Bowl Invitational.

Derby champ Funny Cide keeps plugging away Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

ELMONT, N.Y. — Sixteen months ago, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide came into the Belmont Stakes looking as if he could be one of the sport's all-time great geldings.
But the first New York-bred to win the Derby finished third in the slop that day, and his reputation also was muddied in ensuing races. In nine starts since he lost his bid to be the first gelding to sweep the Triple Crown, Funny Cide has won only an allowance race and a Grade III stakes at Aqueduct — hardly conjuring images of Kelso, Forego and John Henry.
But a victory today in Belmont Park's $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup — a race Kelso won five times, Forego and John Henry once — could rekindle the comparisons. It's not as if Funny Cide, voted last year's 3-year-old champion, has been racing poorly this year. In eight starts as a 4-year-old he also has thirds in the Grade I Donn Handicap, Grade I Suburban (by a neck) and Grade II New Orleans Handicap and seconds in the Grade II MassCap (by a head) and Grade II Saratoga Breeders' Cup. His only off-the-board performance during that time was a fifth in the Grade I Met Mile.
Managing partner Jack Knowlton said Funny Cide, who has earned $475,100 this year, still can accomplish his season's goals if he wins the 11/4-mile Gold Cup: accruing $1 million this year and earning a trip back to the Breeders' Cup Classic, in which he was ninth last year.
"He's got an opportunity now to accomplish everything I would have hoped for at the beginning of the year," Knowlton said. "It's going to come down to this race. It's a huge race, kind of a fork in the road."
Trainer Barclay Tagg said Funny Cide, the 4-1 co-third choice in a field of seven, must win today to go on to the Breeders' Cup. Otherwise, his next start likely will be the $250,000 Empire Classic for New York-breds.
Wins aside, for lifelong horsemen such as Tagg and his partner, Robin Smullen, Funny Cide exhibits the treasured traits of consistency and longevity. Tagg said it's been a disappointment "every time I got beat. I like to win, but I'm not knocking the horse. He ran his heart out every time."
Said Smullen, who also is Funny Cide's exercise rider: "It would be interesting to see the stats on the horses who ran in the whole Triple Crown and came back the next year to earn $500,000. There aren't too many."
Paddy Gallagher, trainer of Gold Cup entrant Domestic Dispute, said Funny Cide "is still a really nice horse."
Jockey Jose Santos, who has ridden Funny Cide in 17 of 19 career races, also admires that the gelding has been worse than third only three times.
"He's not only consistent — he's still here," Santos said. "And it is a different game running with 4-year-olds. He's running with better, stronger horses. ... But he's fighting with those guys and hanging in tough. He's capable to win any of those big races."
Funny Cide beer and wine no longer are sold. But apparel still can be purchased through funnycide.com and Dorothy Knowlton's Saratoga Soles shoe store. And the gelding received a huge response when he ran at Saratoga, hometown track for several of the ownership partners.
"My world has changed, and it's only because of Funny Cide and the Kentucky Derby," said Knowlton, who lives in Saratoga Springs. "Everything has happened because of that. ... Now we're looking at a made-for-TV movie.
"If luck is with us, we can have some fun for two or three more years. Talk about great geldings, he did more at three than any of them. He still has a lot to do to be mentioned in the same breath, but he's got a big head start. No gelding since 1929 had won the Derby, so that's already a big deal. ... That should carry weight a few years from now when history looks back at Funny Cide.
"And, hopefully, we can add to that."

Bessemer Trust Juvenile: England-based Rebuttal intriguing longshot if he comes Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

European-based runners always add a little intrigue to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, primarily because the horses are usually making their first start on dirt and their first start in a route race. Three years ago, Johannesburg conquered both obstacles to win the Juvenile and finish the year unbeaten, and was named champion on two continents. It is still uncertain what, if any, European participation there will be in this year's $1.5 million Juvenile at Lone Star Park. One European-based runner seriously being considered for the race is Rebuttal, a son of Mr. Greeley owned by the New York-based Peter Minikes and trained in England by Brian Meehan. Minikes said if the logistics can be worked out, Rebuttal would be pre-entered on Monday. Those considered definite to be pre-entered are Afleet Alex, Bellamy Road, Boston Glory, Consolidator, Diamond Isle, Proud Accolade, Roman Ruler, and Sun King. Rebuttal is only 1 for 4 in his career, but is coming off a narrow loss to the unbeaten Ad Valorem in the Group 1 Shadwell Stud Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Rebuttal has only competed in six-furlong turf races in England and his pedigree suggests that he is a sprinter. "Smarty Jones was bred to be a sprinter, too," Minikes said, referring to this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner. "Rebuttal's got the stamina question; whether he can go a mile and a sixteenth on dirt nobody really knows. If he can get six furlongs on soft ground, I think he can get a mile and a sixteenth at Lone Star." While Rebuttal would be a longshot in the Juvenile, it's worth noting that Minikes and Meehan pulled a major upset in the Grade 1 Gazelle last year with Buy the Sport, who shipped in from Europe to beat Lady Tak. Minikes and Meehan also ran second in last year's Remsen Stakes with Master David in his U.S. debut. Minikes purchased Rebuttal for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old in training sales at Calder in February. It is Minikes's policy for all his horses to begin their careers in Europe with Meehan. "I believe they do better over there," Minikes said. "I have a lot of confidence in Brian. He's a great 2-year-old trainer. I haven't seen anybody in America that I'd be as comfortable with." Aidan O'Brien, who trained Johannesburg and 2002 Juvenile third-place finisher Hold That Tiger, has not finalized his plans for the Juvenile. Two of his top prospects, Oratorio and Scandinavia, are entered in Saturday's Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Oratorio is a multiple group stakes winner. Scandinavia, a son of Fusaichi Pegasus, is a half-brother to Composure, who finished second to Storm Flag Flying in the 2002 Juvenile Fillies. Edward Sexton, the racing manager for George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable, said Abel Castellano would regain the mount on Bellamy Road, who finished seventh in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity under Ramon Dominguez. Patriot Act, runner-up in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity, will not be pre-entered and will point to a fall campaign at Churchill Downs.