Alternation ruled out of Belmont; Hounds set to return

Alternation ruled out of Belmont; Hounds set to return

On Sunday, Stay Thirsty blitzed six furlongs in a sharp 1:12, best of four

works at the distance on Belmont's fast main track. The Todd Pletcher pupil was

a good-looking winner of the Gotham S. (G3) before disappointing when seventh in

the Florida Derby (G1) and 12th in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

In other Belmont news:

Mrs. John Magnier's MASTER OF HOUNDS (Kingmambo), most recently fifth in the Kentucky

Derby, is scheduled to ship from Europe to New York on June 7 for the Belmont, clearing quarantine on June 9.

Second in the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2) in his only other start as a

three-year-old, the Aidan O'Brien trainee was sixth as the favorite in the 2010

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) at Churchill Downs and third in the Racing

Post Trophy (Eng-G1) at Doncaster, having broken his maiden in his fourth start in

Ireland.

Trainer Dale Romans said Sunday that Preakness (G1) winner

SHACKLEFORD (Forestry) is scheduled to arrive at Belmont Park early Monday morning after an

overnight van ride from Churchill Downs.

"He'll be there early, but I have to check with the van guy later on about

exactly when," Romans said.

Shackleford, owned by Michael Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge, led the Kentucky

Derby field into the stretch and held on well for fourth place behind Animal

Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]). In the Preakness, he stalked pacesetter Flashpoint

(Pomeroy) and held off the

late-running Derby winner to prevail by a half-length.

Romans, who has not yet announced a decision on whether Shackleford will

start in the 143rd running of the Belmont,

owns two third-place finishes in the race from two starters -- Nolan's Cat in

2005 and First Dude (Stephen Got Even) in 2010.

Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up ANIMAL KINGDOM is doing

"super," said trainer Graham Motion, and will resume galloping Monday morning

in preparation for the Belmont.

"He jogged today and he was rather full of himself," Motion said from the

Fair Hill training center in Maryland. "He'll gallop tomorrow and have a week of

galloping until he breezes next week."

Motion is hoping to work the colt next Monday, but has not

decided whether it will be at Fair Hill or Belmont Park.

"I kind of want to see how the weather will be," he said. "In an ideal world,

I would like to breeze him next Monday, but I don't want to ship and have to

work him up there over a sloppy track."

MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno), sixth in the Preakness after losing a left front

shoe, returned to the track Friday morning with a new pair of glue-on front

shoes as he is readied for the Belmont.

"I think we have the shoe situation under control for good," said Kathy

Ritvo, who trains the 17.1-hand tall colt for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.

"There are still a lot of things we have to go through to get him to the

Belmont, but right now, he looks great."

The sixth-place Preakness finish was the first time Mucho Macho Man had

finished off the board in 10 career starts. After running second behind To Honor

and Serve (Bernardini) in the Nashua S. (G2) and Remsen S. (G2) at Aqueduct last

fall, the colt was fourth to DIALED IN (Mineshaft) in the Holy Bull S. (G3), victorious in

the Risen Star S. (G2), third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and third in the

Kentucky Derby.

"Even in finishing sixth, he was beaten only seven lengths and I am pretty

sure he ran the race with three shoes," said Ritvo of Mucho Macho Man, a June 15

foal. "I'm pretty sure he's only going to get better."

Blue Grass (G1) winner BRILLIANT SPEED (Dynaformer) will breeze again either Monday or

Tuesday as he readies for a start in the Belmont, trainer Tom Albertrani said.

"He'll breeze again any day now," said Albertrani, who sent the

colt out for a five-furlong work in 1:00 on May 23, his first breeze since

finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby. "He came out of the Derby fine, and

came back with a good minute work, so everything looks to be going well since he

ran."

The Derby, in which Brilliant Speed finished 5 1/2 lengths behind Animal

Kingdom, was the colt's first start on conventional dirt as a three-year-old. At age

two, he was fourth to eventual Hopeful (G1) winner Boys at Tosconova (Officer) in his

debut at Belmont Park and then seventh behind Curlinello (Smart Strike), eventual Illinois

Derby (G3) winner Joe Vann (Silver Deputy) and fellow Belmont aspirant Mucho Macho Man at

Saratoga.

"He trains well over the dirt," said Albertrani of the Live Oak Plantation

homebred. "I guess that's the only thing we still have to find out. Churchill

Downs is a little bit different from the Belmont surface.

"I guess there's always

that little bit of doubt in the back of your mind whether he'll take to it, but

I'd be pretty optimistic again. Going into the Derby, I felt good about his

chances of handling the dirt, and I think he gets over it OK, so I'd be

optimistic again."

Kentucky Derby sixth-place finisher SANTIVA (Giant's Causeway) took another step toward a start

in the Belmont with a 1:00 3/5 five-furlong breeze at

Churchill Downs on Saturday.

"(The workout) went super and I'm really happy with how he's doing now," said

Eddie Kenneally, who trains the colt for Tom R. Walters.

Kenneally said he'll make a final decision on when Santiva will ship to New

York after the colt turns in his final workout at Churchill Downs next Saturday.

"We'll breeze him next week, and we'll go from there," Kenneally

said.

Santiva, who broke his maiden when he defeated Astrology (A.P. Indy) in the Kentucky Jockey Club

S. (G2) at Churchill in November, prepped for the Kentucky Derby with a second

in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February and a ninth in the Blue Grass over Keeneland's Polytrack in April.