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Slew's Tizzy on target for Belmont
Brooklyn native and Long Island University graduate Bill Kaplan plans on running IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY (Wild Event) in the Belmont. Imawildandcrazyguy finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) while stablemate STORM IN MAY (Tiger Ridge) ended 16th. Imawildandcrazyguy, who came from last in the Derby, did not run in the Preakness so he could be fresh for the Belmont. "All along, the Belmont has been our primary goal," Kaplan said. "He needs 2 1/2 miles, but he'll have to settle for 1 1/2 miles." Clockers at Calder, where Kaplan is based, missed Imawildandcrazyguy's workout on Sunday morning. It was his first workout since the May 5 Run for the Roses. "I got him a half-mile in :50 and out five-eighths in 1:03 3/5," Kaplan said. "He's a slow work horse unless he goes in company." Imawildandcrazyguy will catch a flight to New York next Wednesday along with Storm in May, who is being aimed at the June 8 Hill Prince S. (G3) for three-year-olds on the turf. GREAT HUNTER (Aptitude), who finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby, is considered definite for the Belmont. The Doug O'Neill trainee did not run in the Preakness. "We'll be in good shape for the Belmont," O'Neill said. "He needs to rebound. He came apart on us in the paddock before the Derby." Great Hunter is scheduled to work on Hollywood Park's Cushion Track on Thursday. At Churchill Downs, Preakness hero Curlin returned to the track for the first time since last Saturday's thrilling victory in the second leg of the Triple Crown, but the other half of the classic photo finish spent another day under the shedrow. While Curlin galloped, STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]) -- the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up -- walked under an exercise rider in trainer Carl Nafzger's shedrow on Wednesday. Street Sense is expected to return to the track on Thursday. Curlin galloped a mile under regular exercise rider Carmen Rosas. "He's doing great," said Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. "Everything looks great." Asmussen was at Churchill Downs on Monday and said "all indications" would be to send the imposing chestnut on to the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. "Our responsibility is obviously his health," Asmussen said. "I think the one thing that everybody wants out of the race (the Preakness) is for the top three finishers to come out of it as they obviously did out of the Derby. It was so nice to see them all at the Preakness training the way they did with no chinks -- no chinks in the armor. All of them were still tight together and (we) thought they were going to show up and you'd have to run really well to win, and I think that's what happened." Asmussen said the battles in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness between Curlin, Street Sense and HARD SPUN (Danzig) were special things to be a part of. "It wasn't anybody backing off -- it was everybody going forward. If they continue to do this in their careers, I think we can look back on that chart in amazement and say, 'Look who was in this race.' It's a situation with the top three horses that they are this good and worthy of classics. It's something everybody should be very proud of and very fortunate to be associated with." If all continues to go well for Curlin, Asmussen said he would ship to Belmont Park on the Wednesday before the race. "Most likely he'll breeze on Monday morning," Asmussen said. "We'll just stay with the routine."
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