Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition

Resilience turns in solid half-mile breeze

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The final piece of the Belmont Stakes workout puzzle fell into place nicely about 7:45 a.m. Sunday over the Oklahoma training track. Wood Memorial winner Reslience solidified his spot in the lineup with a very solid halfmile breeze in 47.88 seconds that delighted a gathering of about two-dozen spectators, none more so than his Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott.

After none of the seven likely Belmont Stakes starters who breezed locally moved the needle one way or another from a handicappe­r’s standpoint while turning in primarily maintenanc­e-type works here Saturday, Resilience may have done just that with his impressive performanc­e here Sunday morning.

Equipped in blinkers, Resilience broke about a length off and outside 3-year-old allowance winner Billal at the half-mile pole and cruised an opening quarter-mile split in a leisurely 25.10. Resilience was even with his mate while fanning four or five paths wide leaving the turn, then powered to the wire without need of encouragem­ent, completing his final quarter in an eye-catching 22.78. Resilience stuck his head in front at the finish line, then drew off from his partner while remaining wide into the turn, galloping out five-eighths in 1:00.95 before easing up after three-quarters in a strong 1:14.31.

Resilience loomed a major player turning for home before fading to finish sixth, nearly eight lengths behind Mystik Dan, four weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby. Afterward Mott questioned his horse’s ability to handle 1 1/4 miles while leaning toward not bringing him back in the Belmont.

But Mott’s thinking began to swing over the past week, with the decision to give Resilience another chance at the distance on Saturday no longer in doubt following his sharp effort here Sunday morning.

Resilience was one of a handful of horses that Mott has earmarked for stakes races later this week at the fourday Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga who had their final tune-ups over the Oklahoma track on Sunday. The group included Baby Yoda (True North), who went a crisp but relatively easy half-mile in 47.08; Casa Creed (Poker), who completed a maintenanc­e half in 50.64; Sousa Summer (Jaipur), with a swift threefurlo­ng blowout in 35.23; and Bendoog (Suburban), who went four furlongs in 48.33 while best in company with Elysian Meadows.

Monday

With all the heavy lifting over, Monday proved a relatively quiet day on the Belmont Stakes training front with much of the activity that did occur taking place early over the very popular Oklahoma training track.

Mystik Dan was the first horse out immediatel­y after the course opened at 5:30 a.m., returning to the track for the first time since breezing an easy five furlongs in 1:01.44 just 48 hours earlier. Trainer Kenny McPeek altered his usual training schedule on Monday morning, having the Kentucky Derby winner jog one mile the wrong way before turning around and galloping a second mile under regular exercise rider Danny Ramsey. Mystik Dan had been galloping 1 1/2 miles on a regular basis here.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out his three Belmont contenders in the first two sets, starting with Mindframe at 7:45 a.m. and followed by both Protective and Peter Pan winner Antiquaria­n about 30 minutes later. All three galloped 1 1/2 miles, with Antiquaria­n cocking his head to take a look at some visitors near the Marylou Whitney viewing stand before regaining his focus and continuing strongly, ears up, through the wire and into the turn.

Sieze the Grey, who began his career locally last summer, got re-acquainted with the Oklahoma surface after arriving early Saturday evening, galloping 1 3/4 miles under the watchful eye of trainer D. Wayne Lukas.