Excluding the Triple Crown sweeps of American Pharoah and Justify, it’s been nearly 20 years since Afleet Alex in 2005 was the last horse to win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
This year, National Treasure – who won this year’s Preakness Stakes in wire-to-wire style – stands a solid chance at pulling off the same feat in the Belmont Stakes and taking two-thirds of the Triple Crown.
It would mark a stunning turnaround for the Bob Baffert-trained colt, who was a well-beaten fourth in the Santa Anita Derby two starts back. In the Preakness Stakes, while wearing blinkers for the first time, National Treasure got every break — a small field with a lack of quality besides Kentucky Derby winner Mage, with zero front-running speed — and took advantage of it under jockey John Velazquez.
But things figure to be a lot tougher in the Belmont Stakes on June 10. The field looks loaded, with potential runners including juvenile champion Forte, Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Angel of Empire and an impressive, fast-developing colt named Arcangelo, who won a gutsy Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park coming off a maiden victory.
That may not, however, matter much to National Treasure. He’s training strong in preparation for the Belmont; on May 30, NYRA reported, he galloped out a half-mile in 50.62 with Velazquez in the irons for the workout.
“I wanted to jog him to the mile pole and start him galloping nice and easy. He got pretty strong on the bridle, so I kept him on the outside and Bob told me when I get to the four and a half, just drop him in and try to go 49,” Velazquez said in a NYRA press release. “He picked it up pretty quick. I slowed him down as best I could and down the lane I just held him together. Going past the sixteenth pole, I gave him his head and let him gallop out.”
Meanwhile, Baffert — who returns to the NYRA circuit after a year-long suspension for the Medina Spirit…
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