Mr. Hot Stuff drills bullet for Belmont

MR. HOT STUFF (Tiznow) worked a bullet five furlongs over the Polytrack at

Keeneland Tuesday morning in preparation for a start in the June 6 Belmont S.

(G1) at Belmont Park.

Third in both the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Sham S. (G3) earlier this year,

Mr. Hot Stuff was caught in 1:01, the fastest of 12 at the distance. It was Mr.

Hot Stuff's third work at Keeneland since finishing 15th in the May 2 Kentucky

Derby (G1), which was his first start on dirt.

"He went very well, easy enough, and there was plenty left in the tank,"

trainer Eoin Harty said from California. "He's fit and ready to go."

Harty said he and Mr. Hot Stuff will most likely arrive in New York on June

3.

Mr. Hot Stuff will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado in

the Belmont, a race he won in 2002 aboard Sarava and again in 2004 on Birdstone.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Belmont hopefuls FLYING PRIVATE

(Fusaichi Pegasus), most recently fourth in the Preakness S. (G1), and LUV GOV

(Ten Most Wanted), who was eighth in the Preakness, will work at Churchill Downs

this week before a final decision is made whether to run in the Belmont.

"I haven't decided yet whether they will go in the race," Lukas said from

Louisville. "They'll work midweek and then we'll decide."

Lukas has saddled 19 Belmont S. starters, with four wins -- Tabasco Cat

(1994), Thunder Gulch (1995), Editor's Note (1996) and Commendable (2000). Lukas

has not had a Belmont S. starter, however, since A.P. Arrow ran fifth in 2005.

SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone), sixth in the Kentucky Derby, continues to train

forwardly for the Belmont, trainer Tim Ice reported Tuesday.

"He had a good gallop this morning," said Ice, who brought the colt to New

York early last week from Louisiana to prepare for the race. "The difference

between him last week and this week is noticeable in the way he's moving over

the track."

Summer Bird will have his final serious move for the Belmont on Saturday,

going five furlongs with his new rider, Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, up

for the work. Ice originally had named Joe Talamo aboard Summer Bird, but

changed plans and chose a rider more familiar with Belmont Park.

"The more I talked with people, the more important it seemed to have someone

who really knows this track," said Ice, who worked as an assistant with

Desormeaux's brother, trainer Keith Desormeaux, in Louisiana for five years.

"I'm just glad Kent wanted to ride him in the Belmont."

Desormeaux has had six Belmont S. starts, with two seconds, including a nose

loss to Victory Gallop in 1998 that cost Real Quiet the Triple Crown.

Desormeaux's second Triple Crown chance was thwarted last year when his mount,

Big Brown, did not finish the race.