Tom Law

Chad Brown felt like the butt of a joke earlier this year when he got word that Prince Khalid Abdullah planned to transfer global superstar Flintshire into his care for a 6-year-old campaign in the U.S.

Elliott Walden took the call in early March at his hotel in Ocala, where he recently arrived to scout potential classic prospects in his role as president and chief executive officer for Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm at the OBS March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training. A little more than two months out from the start of this year’s Triple Crown series, it looked like WinStar might be without a starter in the Kentucky Derby for just the second time since 2006. The business of reloading, restocking and looking ahead to the next group of prospects well underway.

The connections of Creator aren’t shy about proclaiming their faith in God – thus the name of the gray son of Tapit – and they never lost a similar devotion to the colt leading up to the final jewel of the Triple Crown.

Everywhere you look the last three days at Belmont Park you’re bound to see young women in white dresses and hats, toting a tray of LIQS Cocktail Shots, explaining and trying to sell the colorful concoctions. Late Friday afternoon a few friendly not-so-much cocktail hustlers made a final pass through the owner’s box area as the minutes ticked into seconds before one of six stakes on the card.

Keith Desormeaux held his half-eaten apple wrapped in a napkin, leaned against a fence under a shade tree to meet with the media about a half-hour after Exaggerator finished his training Friday morning at Belmont Park and summed up the ride of his life that is the 2016 Triple Crown.

The 148th running of the Belmont Stakes won’t feature a coronation like it did a year ago – or even the chance for a coronation like it did two years ago – but it still headlines a star-studded day of stakes action at Belmont Park on Long Island.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival continues to gain momentum and with it the Belmont Stakes Friday program, bulked up from five stakes a year ago to six for 2016.

The absence of the Kentucky Derby winner and the presence of the ultra-consistent Preakness winner didn’t scare off the competition for the final jewel of the Triple Crown as a field 13 was entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 148th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.