SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade opened as the 2-1 favorite for the the 158th Belmont Stakes when post positions were drawn Monday for the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Renegade drew post position No. 4 and is set to be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. The Todd Pletcher-trained horse is coming off finishing second by a neck in the Derby to Cherie DeVaux-trained Golden Tempo, who opened as the 9-2 third choice. Golden Tempo will
start on the outside Saturday after drawing the No. 9 post in the nine-horse field.
DeVaux made history as the first woman to train a Derby winner. She returns to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she was born and spent some of her early career looking to win two Triple Crown races in the same year.
Golden Tempo, with Jose Ortiz set to be aboard, is running for the first time after DeVaux and owners decided not to run him in the Preakness Stakes.
“The field can go out ahead of him, and he’ll just find himself in the back of the pack early in the race,” DeVaux said.
Bill Mott’s Chief Wallabee was the second choice at 3-1 after being fourth in the Derby and will start the race out of the No. 3 post. Mott won the Derby and the Belmont with Sovereignty last year. Jockey Junior Alvarado will look to bring Mott another Belmont win.
“Our horse seems to be doing well,” Mott said. “He doesn’t seem to have taken a step backwards since the Derby. It seems like he’s been on an upwards progression.”
The rematch of Golden Tempo and Renegade highlights the third and final Belmont at Saratoga. It has taken place at the historic track in upstate New York while Belmont Park is undergoing a full reconstruction.
New York-based trainer Chad Brown has the most horses entered in the race, headlined by Derby 10th-place finisher Emerging Market, who opened at 6-1 with Flavien Prat lined up to ride. Brown, who has never won the Belmont, also has Ottinho (20-1) and Growth Equity (12-1).
“He hasn’t taken a step back from the Derby,” Brown said on Emerging Market. “It was kind of a rough race for him. He came out of there in one piece, and we got him up here a few days after and he’s been doing really well.”
The rest of the nine-horse field includes Brad Cox’s Commandment (6-1), Doug O’Neill’s longshot Vitruvian Man (30-1), and Pletcher’s second horse, Powershift (12-1).
This year’s field doesn’t include any horses that ran in the Preakness, including winner Napoleon Solo.
___
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
