The field for the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) lost a possible starter as Juddmonte Farms manager Garrett O’Rourke said Batten Down would most likely be pointed toward the Ohio Derby (G3) instead of the June 8 final leg of the Triple Crown at Saratoga Race Course.
A homebred son of Tapit , the Juddmonte 3-year-old was coming off a 1 1/4-mile maiden special weight victory April 30 at Churchill Downs.
It gave him a record of a win, a second, and a third in four starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
“I don’t think there is lot of appetite for the Belmont,” O’Rourke said May 29. “It’s a deep race. I’d prefer some baby steps.”
The $500,000 Ohio Derby will be contested June 22 at Thistledown.
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Entries for the Belmont Stakes will close June 3.
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