Preakness winner Seize the Grey drew post position No. 1 on Monday, while Kentucky Derby champion Mystik Dan will start from post No. 3 for the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
Mystik Dan, trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., finished second in the Preakness and is the only horse in the field to compete in all three Triple Crown races. With 5-1 odds, he is the third favorite behind Sierra Leone, who opened at 9-5, and Mindframe at 7-2.
McPeek favored the inside post position, and Mystik Dan co-owner Lance Gasaway had his eye on the No. 3 post. “Lance Gasaway sent me a message this morning, ‘Go there and get post No. 3,'” McPeek said. “He said it’s his lucky number, I guess. We’re thrilled with that. It’s out of our control now. It’s up to Brian.”
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ Seize the Grey, with 8-1 odds after a wire-to-wire win in the Preakness, is right behind Mystik Dan.
Sierra Leone, who drew the No. 9 post position in the 10-horse field, was second in the Derby, narrowly losing to Mystik Dan. Trainer Chad Brown is optimistic about a strong performance with a jockey change to Flavien Prat. “He bounced out of the Derby, which can obviously be a tough race on horses,” Brown said. “He’s trained really good here. Just hoping for a good trip. With half as many horses to run down, it should be hopefully a little easier on him.”
Brown has had success with Prat onboard. “Hopefully, Flavien can sort of survey the inside and pick his spot where he wants to be in the first turn,” Brown said. “As long as we’re prepared for him and he runs straight, he should run big.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher is fielding the most horses in the 1 1/4-mile race. His trio is led by undefeated Mindframe, starting from the No. 10 post. Despite a short résumé with just two starts and two wins, Mindframe is favored over the Preakness and Kentucky Derby champions. “He’s a very talented colt,” Pletcher said. “His two races have been very impressive. We’re giving up a lot of seasoning and experience to some really good horses, which is the main concern.”
Pletcher also has No. 5 Antiquarian (12-1) and No. 7 Protective (20-1) in the race. “He needs to continue to move forward,” Pletcher said of Protective. “We think he’ll appreciate the added distance, running a mile and a quarter for the first time. He shows up and tries hard every time.”
