The 156th Belmont Stakes (G1) is Saturday, June 8, at Saratoga Race Course. The 1 ¼-mile race, shortened from 1 ½ miles due to the change of venue as the Belmont Park rebuild continues, is the final leg of the Triple Crown. usracing.com is publishing profiles of the contenders.
ANTIQUARIAN
The Peter Pan Stakes has been a major prep to the Belmont Stakes for years, contested a week after the Kentucky Derby and a week before the Preakness.
Antiquarian didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes after winning the Peter Pan
For 3-year-olds starting to round into form and did not run in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, a solid effort in the 1 1 /8-mile Peter Pan could move them into Belmont Stakes consideration.
Such is the case with Antiquarian, who won the Peter Pan at Aqueduct on May 11, and is one of three Todd-Pletcher trained Belmont Stakes contenders.
Seven 3-year-olds have won the Peter Pan and the Belmont Stakes, including Arcangelo in 2023. Can Antiquarian, after just four races (like Arcangelo) make it two sweeps in a row?
There is one major difference: The seven who completed the Peter Pan-Belmont double did so when the races were run at Belmont Park. With the track being rebuilt, the Peter Pan was run at Aqueduct, and the Belmont Stakes on June 8 is at Saratoga Race Course.
Nonetheless, the chestnut colt has solid credentials with two wins and a second in four starts. Plus, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will be aboard since Fierceness is not running.
He was second by a half-length in his debut at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 13 going a mile. He pressed the pace over a sloppy track at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 17 and won at 1 1/16 miles by a length. Next up: the Louisiana Derby, a race in which he broke through the starting gate early, was declared fit to race, but after stalking the pace around the far turn on the outside he ended up sixth – beaten four lengths by Catching Freedom (fourth in the Derby, third in the Preakness).
In the Peter Pan, Antiquarian followed the leaders in third under Velazquez. He finished up strong, running past 6-5 favorite The Wine Steward for a three-quarter length victory.
“I thought his Peter Pan was back to what we were thinking he’s capable of doing,” Pletcher said. “He’s another one I think the mile and a quarter suits.”
2024 Preakness Stakes Contenders, Odds, and Post Positions: Antiquarian
Belmont Stakes Betting advice: Going 1 ¼ miles doesn’t appear to be an issue, but going against the Derby winner, the Preakness winner, and Sierra Leone may be asking too much. Thought here: Live longshot.
Post position: 5
Odds: 12-1
Jockey: John Velazquez
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owner: Centennial Farms
Career record: 4-2-1-0
Career earnings: $173,000
Most recent race: Peter Pan, May 11 (1st)
Top Equibase speed figure: 101
Pedigree: Preservationist-Lifetime Memory, Istan
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Off the pace
Notes: Owners Centennial Farms has been a racing operation since 1982. It is run by Don Little, Jr., the son of founder Don Little. They owned 1993 Belmont winner Colonial Affair … Pletcher is seeking his fifth Belmont; he also plans to send out Mindframe and Protective … Velazquez has been aboard Antiquarian for all four starts.
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEIZE THE GREY | Jaime Torres | D. Wayne Lukas | MyRacehorse | 8-1 |
| 2 | RESILIENCE | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | Emily Bushnell & Ric Waldman | 10-1 |
| 3 | MYSTIK DAN | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | Kenneth McPeek | Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing LLC & Daniel Hamby III | 5-1 |
| 4 | THE WINE STEWARD | Manny Franco | Mike Maker | Paradise Farms Corp. and Staudacher, David | 15-1 |
| 5 | ANTIQUARIAN | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | Centennial Farms | 12-1 |
| 6 | DORNOCH | Luis Saez | Danny Gargan | West Paces Racing LLC, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC, Two Eight Racing LLC & Pine Racing Stable | 15-1 |
| 7 | PROTECTIVE | Tyler Gaffalione | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable | 20-1 |
| 8 | HONOR MARIE | Florent Geroux | Whit Beckman | Ribble Farms LLC | 12-1 |
| 9 | SIERRA LEONE | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown | Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael B., Smith, Derrick, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing, LLC and Brant, Peter M. | 9-5 |
| 10 | MINDFRAME | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC | 7-2 |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
