Ice Box, Fly Down gate school, gallop in advance of Belmont

After Belmont S. (G1) morning-line favorite ICE BOX (Pulpit) and stablemate

FLY DOWN (Mineshaft) schooled in the gate and galloped this morning, Hall of

Fame trainer Nick Zito was asked if his late closers would be closer to the pace

in Saturday's 1 1/2-mile race.

"It depends," Zito said. "Obviously, Ice Box has a great kick. I don't want

to do anything to compromise his style of running. I've seen that before,

changing styles, and it never works. Never, never, never. I hope he gets in

position where he can run his race; that's all we can hope for. And, basically,

he and Fly Down are the same type of horse.

"I guess everyone is going to pay attention to First Dude," he added. "He's

got a good post (11) because he'll probably try and gallop out there. But I

wouldn't change my horses' styles. I just hope my horses run the same way they

have been."

"We're definitely going to be on, or close, to the lead," he said.

"If someone wants to get out of their game and set him down inside of

us, we'll let him go and sit right off.

"This horse doesn't have to be on the lead. If they let him get

three-quarters in 1:14 like Seattle Slew, he'll be tough to catch. I

don't think there's anyone in there that wants to sacrifice themselves

and get out of their game and go chase him."

To Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, it's simple.

Baffert said he is pleased with the way Game on Dude has progressed in the

weeks he's had him.

"He's a very laid-back horse. He's got a good mind. He's very plain," Baffert

explained. "But he's matured since I've had him, and, he gets over this track

really well. It only took him one time around to get used to it."

Belmont longshot STAY PUT (Broken Vow) galloped 1 1/2 miles on the main track

Friday morning in preparation for the Belmont. Jockey Jamie Theriot, who has

ridden the homebred colt owned by Bertram, Elaine and Richard Klein in each of

his seven races, will arrive Saturday morning, according to trainer Steve

Margolis.

"We will talk tomorrow," Margolis said. "Everything went well this morning,

and we're excited and looking forward to it very much. We haven't plotted out

the strategy, and we'll see what the weather looks like and figure out what we

want to do."

Stay Put finished a close-up fifth in his two stakes tries and comes off an

allowance victory at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.

Dual Grade 3 victor INTERACTIF (Broken Vow) will break from the far outside

in Saturday's Belmont, which could give rider Javier Castellano options on where

to place the Wertheimer and Frere homebred in the field of 12.

"It's a 1 1/2-mile race, and there's an eighth of a mile run into the first

turn," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "We'll have to secure some kind of position.

On paper, First Dude is the speed, so we hope we can just follow him over. Or

maybe we'll just go to the lead."

"Everything went according to schedule, and he's done everything we've

asked," Maker said of the Blue Grass S. (G1) winner's preparation for the final

leg of the Triple Crown. "You couldn't ask for more than that."

Conway said he had been in town since Tuesday and marveled repeatedly at

Belmont Park's beauty and grandeur.

"I love it here," he said.

Alan Garcia rides Stately Victor, 15-1 on the morning line, and Maker said he

has no plans to offer instructions. The jockey first took the colt's reins at

Keeneland and won the Blue Grass at 40-1. In their next outing, Garcia and

Stately Victor finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) after a bumpy journey.

Joel Rosario has the call on MAKE MUSIC FOR ME (Bernstein) in Saturday's

Belmont, and it will be the first time the 22-year-old jockey has competed over

Belmont's expansive 1 1/2-mile main track. However, that doesn't bother trainer

Alexis Barba.

"This kid is going to be a superstar," Barba said of Rosario.

Rosario and Make Music for Me closed from last of 20 to finish fourth at 30-1

in the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday, Rosario has one other scheduled mount at

Belmont Park -- Kells Blues (Elusive Quality) in the 3RD race, a maiden event on

the Widener turf course.

Rosario, who rides year-round in Southern California, is currently third in

the jockey standings at Hollywood Park and was the second-leading rider at Santa

Anita during the meet that concluded in April.