Tale of Verve headed to Belmont, Divining Rod not after Preakness placings

Before heading to the airport to catch an

8:30 a.m. (EDT) flight bound for Kentucky on Sunday, trainer Dallas Stewart stopped by the Pimlico Stakes Barn to check on

Tale of Verve (Tale of Ekati), who finished second in Saturday's 140th edition

of the Preakness S. (G1).

"He looked good. We got him out and gave him a

couple of turns (around the shed row) and grazed him," Stewart said. "He's going

to go to Belmont tomorrow."

Tale of Verve is bound for the 147th Belmont

S. (G1), the last and longest leg of the Triple Crown at 1 1/2 miles. He'll face

off yet again with Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof

the Nile) in that June 6 contest at Belmont Park.

Bred and owned by Charles Fipke, Tale of Verve

had one maiden special weight win in his sixth and most recent start heading

into the Preakness, in which he came from dead last to pass horses in the

stretch and finish second, one length ahead of winner Divining

Rod (Tapit).

"He ran so big yesterday," Stewart praised his bay charge. "He's a tremendous horse."

Stewart-trained horses have now finished second

four times in Triple Crown races -- 39-1 Macho Again (2008) and 28-1 Tale of

Verve in the Preakness and 34-1 Golden Soul (2013) and 37-1 Commanding Curve

(2014) in the Kentucky Derby. Macho Again finished fifth in the Belmont,

while Golden Soul and Commanding Curve each ran ninth.