Francesca Le Donne Photo

Fields coming together for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival stakes

by NYRA Press Office

Fields are coming together for the 2018 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, comprised of 18 stakes worth $9.4 million in purses over the three-day festival and highlighted by the 150th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA Bets, which will see undefeated Justify try to become only the 13th Triple Crown champion on Saturday, June 9 at Belmont Park.

The possible field for the Belmont Stakes, with trainers and jockeys, are:

Horse                      Trainer                    Jockey

Bandua                    Dermot Weld           N/A

Blended Citizen       Doug O'Neill            Kyle Frey

Bravazo                   D. Wayne Lukas      Luis Saez

Free Drop Billy         Dale Romans          Robby Albarado

Gronkowski             Chad Brown            Jose Ortiz

Hofburg                   Bill Mott                   Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Justify                      Bob Baffert              Mike Smith

Noble Indy               Todd Pletcher          Javier Castellano

Restoring Hope       Bob Baffert              Florent Geroux

Seahenge                Aidan O'Brien          Ryan Moore

Tenfold                    Steve Asmussen     Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Vino Rosso              Todd Pletcher          John Velazquez

Probable runners for the 2018 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival:

THURSDAY, JUNE 7:

Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental

Probable: Always Thinking (Tom Albertrani); Delectation (Wesley Ward); Faypien (Bob Baffert); Heavenly Score (John Terranova); I’m Betty G (Mike Maker); La Sardane (Neil Drysdale); Lady Alexandra (Graham Motion); Stormy Victoria (Christophe Clement); Thundering Sky (George Weaver)

Possible: Union Strike (Mick Ruis)

Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again

Probable: Altea (Chad Brown); Andina Del Sur (Albertrani); Armoricaine (Christophe Ferland); Camila Princess (Oscar Gonzalez); Daddy is a Legend (Weaver); La Signare (Brian Lynch); Layla Noor (Arnaud Delacour); Mighty Scarlett (C. Brown); Significant Form (C. Brown)

Possible: Animosity (Patrick Gallagher); Terrabyte (Terranova)

$150,000 Astoria

Probable: Athens Queen (Ward); Gallanor (Phil Schoenthal); Lady Apple (Steve Asmussen); Six Pack Gal (Mike Machowsky); Tijori (Simon Callaghan); Wonder Stone (Ward)

FRIDAY, JUNE 8:

Grade 2, $600,000 New York

Probable: Daddy’s Lil Darling (Kenny McPeek); Empressof the Nile (H. James Bond); Esquisse (Motion); Fahan Mura (Vladimir Cerin); Fourstar Crook (C. Brown); Holy Helena (Jimmy Jerkens); Mom’s On Strike (Joe Sharp); Sistercharlie (C. Brown); Snowy Winter (Archie Watson)

Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational

Probable: Bronson (Maker); Call Provision (C. Brown); Call to Mind (William Haggas); Canessar (Delacour); Funny Kid (Ferland); Nessy (Ian Wilkes); Postulation (Edward Graham); Prince of Arran (Charlie Fellows); Rocketry (Jerkens); Run Time (Maker)

Possible: Arklow (Brad Cox)

Grade 2, $250,000 True North

Probable: Bobby Abu Dhabi (Peter Miller); Imperial Hint (Luis Carvajal, Jr.); Joking (Charlie Baker); Limousine Liberal (Ben Colebrook); Recruiting Ready (Horacio DePaz); Westwood (Kiaran McLaughlin); Whitmore (Ron Moquett)

Possible: Always Sunshine (Edward Allard)

Grade 3, $250,000 Bed o’ Roses Invitational

Probable: American Gal (Callaghan); Divine Miss Grey (Danny Gargan); Lewis Bay (C. Brown); Yorkiepoo Princess (Eddie Barker);

Possible: Cairenn (Motion); Highway Star (Ubillo); Union Strike (Ruis); Your Love (C. Brown)

$150,000 Tremont

Probable: Girls Love Me (Anthony Farrior); Mae Never No (filly) (Ward); Our Braintrust (Cal Lynch); Outshine (Todd Pletcher); Sir Truebadour (Asmussen); Social Fan (Pletcher); Sombeyay (Pletcher)

SATURDAY, JUNE 9:

Grade 1, $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap

“Win and You're In” Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Division

Probable: Awesome Slew (Casse); Bee Jersey (Asmussen); Bolt d’Oro (Ruis); Good Samaritan (Mott); McCraken (Wilkes); Mind Your Biscuits (Chad Summers); Ransom the Moon (Phil D’Amato); Warrior’s Club (Lukas)

Possible: Discreet Lover (Uriah St. Lewis)

Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan

Probable: Alexios Komnenos (James Stack); Beach Patrol (C. Brown); Channel Maker (Mott); Hi Happy (Pletcher); Lucullan (McLaughlin); Manitoulin (Jimmy Toner); Multiplier (Peter Miller); One Go All Go (Charles Dickey); Robert Bruce (C. Brown); Sadler's Joy (Albertrani); Spring Quality (Motion)

Possible: Arklow (Cox); Catho En Die (Naipaul Chatterpaul)

Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn, presented by Nassau County IDA

Probable: Caledonia Road (Ralph Nicks); Gio Game (Casse); Monomoy Girl (Cox); Moonshine Memories (Callaghan); Spectator (D’Amato); Starcloud (Oscar Gonzalez); Talk Veuve to Me (Rudolphe Brisset);

Possible: Gas Station Sushi (Richard Baltas)

Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just A Game

Probable: A Raving Beauty (C. Brown); Cambodia (Tom Proctor); La Coronel (Casse); Lull (Clement); Off Limits (C. Brown); On Leave (Shug McGaughey); Proctor’s Ledge (Brendan Walsh)

Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps

“Win and You're In” Breeders' Cup Distaff Division

Probable: Abel Tasman (Baffert); Fault (D’Amato); Ivy Bell (Pletcher); Pacific Wind (C. Brown); Unbridled Mo (Pletcher); Unchained Melody (Brian Lynch) 

Possible: Berned (Motion); Farrell (Wayne Catalano)

Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens, presented by Mohegan Sun

Probable: Engage (C. Brown); Givemeaminit (Dallas Stewart); Kanthaka (Jerry Hollendorfer); Madison’s Luna (Philip Bauer); Pure Shot (Asmussen); Still Having Fun (Timothy Keefe); Strike Power (Mark Hennig); The Tabulator (Larry Rivelli); World of Trouble (Jason Servis)

Possible: Beautiful Shot (Keith Desormeaux)

Grade 2, $400,000 Jaipur Invitational

“Win and You're In” Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Division

Probable: Blind Ambition (Pletcher); Conquest Panthera (Casse); Conquest Tsunami (Miller); Disco Partner (Clement); Frisky Magician (Jorge Abreu); Holding Gold (Casse); Pocket Change (Jason Servis); Stormy Liberal (Miller); Will Call (Cox)

Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational

Probable: Backsideofthemoon (Leo O’Brien); Carlino (Hennig); Giant Payday (Wilkes); Hard Study (Pletcher); Hint of Roses (Maker); Hoppertunity (Baffert); Mills (David Donk); Outplay (Pletcher); Take Your Guns (C. Brown); War Story (Jorge Navarro); Zanotti (Juan Carlos Guerrero)

Possible: Discreet Lover (St. Lewis)

$150,000 Easy Goer

Probable: Breaking the Rules (McGaughey); High North (Cox); Mask (C. Brown) Pony Up (Pletcher); Rugbyman (Motion)

Possible: Dark Vader (Peter Eurton); Givemeaminit (Stewart); Lunar Beauty (Rick Violette, Jr.); Maimo (Summers); Promises Fulfilled (Romans); The Tabulator (Rivelli)