Vyjack, Giant Finish turn in final works for Belmont

Far up the track in the Kentucky Derby, Gotham winner Vyjack will look to rebound in the Belmont (Bud Morton/EquiSport Photos) Grade 2 winner Vyjack put in a strong final tune-up for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes Tuesday morning, breezing five furlongs in :59, handily, according to NYRA clockers. The three-year-old Into Mischief gelding was aggressively hand-ridden down the stretch of Belmont’s good main track by trainer Rudy Rodriguez, who pulled Vyjack up shortly after crossing the wire. “I just wanted him to work the right way, and he did what we asked him to do,” Rodriguez said. “I was happy with the way he did it, nice and comfortable. He looked good, and he seemed happy. He looks like he came back good, not blowing or anything. Beautiful.” Heavy rain on Monday forced Rodriguez to postpone Vyjack’s final breeze until Tuesday, and it was delayed further after the trainer got caught in morning traffic on the way to Belmont from his base at Aqueduct, not stepping on the track until 9:24 a.m. (EDT).

“He’s got very, very good energy,” Rodriguez said. “Yesterday, we tried to
graze him a little bit and he was bucking and kicking. He’s been very happy.
Maybe he likes Belmont. I hope so.”

Vyjack most recently finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby.

“He looked like he handled the track better than Churchill,” Rodriguez said.
“He looked a lot more smooth. Over there, he changed leads a couple times, but
that track was a little hard for him. He’s doing great. Now, we have to hope he
brings his ‘A’ game.”

A winner of his first four career starts, including the Jerome and the Gotham
at Aqueduct, Vyjack will be ridden for the first time in the Belmont by jockey
Julien Leparoux.

Giant Finish, who was 10th in the Kentucky Derby, turned in his final serious
work for the Belmont Stakes Tuesday,

breezing a half-mile under Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado, who will be
aboard for Saturday’s race.

The chestnut colt, who arrived from the Fair Hill Training Center and had
Monday’s scheduled work postponed, went out shortly after the renovation break
at 8:45 a.m. and was caught in :49 by NYRA clockers.

“He did it nice and easy to the pole, and I let him out a little bit,” said
Prado of the Tony Dutrow-trained colt. “He got over the track well and finished
up good. It was really a maintenance work.”

Prado is a two-time winner of the Belmont, taking the 2002 edition with
Sarava and the 2004 running with Birdstone.

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