The field for the 156th Belmont Stakes is set: 10 3-year-olds were entered Monday with Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Sierra Leone the 9-5 favorite over Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness winner Seize the Grey.
Mystik Dan 5-1, Seize the Grey 8-1 in 10-horse field
Somewhat surprising, Mindframe was made the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, with Mystik Dan 5-1 and Seize the Grey 8-1.
Mindframe has raced just twice but won big both times – by 13 ¼ lengths in his debut in March and by 7 ½ lengths in an allowance optional claimer on May 4.
The Belmont is Saturday at Saratoga Race Course for the first time, with the distance shortened from 1 ½ miles to 1 ¼ miles due to the configuration of the track. Belmont Park is being rebuilt.
Post time for the $2 million Belmont is 6:40 p.m. ET.
Pletcher also sends out Peter Pan Stakes (G3) winner Antiquarian, at 12-1, and 20-1 longshot Protective.
“He’s a very talented colt, and his two races have been very impressive,’’ Pletcher said of Mindframe. “But he’s giving up a lot of seasoning and a lot of experience to other horses so that’s a concern. He needs to continue to improve; if he does I think we can get a piece.”
Chad Brown, who grew up near Saratoga Springs in Mechanicville, trains Sierra Leone, beaten a nose in a three-horse photo finish in the Derby.
Brown is confident that with the colt fitted with a new bit to help keep him from leaning in and a new rider in Flavien Prat, a Belmont win is in the cards.
“He’s been doing great. He bounced out of the Derby, which can be a tough race on horses, well,’’ Brown said. “There’s half as many horses to run down (in the Belmont), so hopefully that will be a little easier. I hope he runs the same race as in the Derby.”
Sierra Leone drew post 9, a good starting point for a deep closer. Mystic Dan leaves from post 3 – the same post he had in the Derby – with Brian Hernandez, Jr aboard.
Seize the Grey, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, leaves from the rail under Jaime Torres.
Also entered in the final leg of the Triple Crown are Resilience (sixth in the Derby), Honor Marie (eighth in the Derby), Dornoch (10th in the Derby), and Peter Pan runner-up The Wine Steward.
This will be the first time since 2013 that the Derby winner and Preakness winner have run in the Belmont. In 2013, it was Derby winner Orb and Preakness winner Oxbow, with longshot Palace Malice (trained by Pletcher) winning at 13-1.
The field for the $2 million Belmont Stakes, from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
| 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 |