Prado named on Casino Drive, Big Brown gallops

Edgar Prado will pick up the mount on Casino Drive for the Belmont (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com) Peter Pan S. (G2) winner CASINO DRIVE (Mineshaft) had a vigorous gallop at Belmont Park on Wednesday, and Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto, seemed pleased with the colt’s progress prior to the 140th running of the Belmont S. (G1) on June 7. “At the moment, we are pleased with him and we will not go any faster in the mornings,” Tada said. “We walk him fast one hour before he goes to the track, warming up muscle and tendon; it’s good. Then, we go to the track. Then, he walks again nearly one hour to cool down. That’s what we do in Japan, and we will do it here.” Wednesday afternoon, Tada said that Edgar Prado was confirmed to ride Casino Drive in the $1 million Belmont. “We have a commitment with Edgar Prado for the Belmont Stakes, and on behalf of the owner (Hidetoshi Yamamoto) and the trainer (Kazuo Fujisawa), we appreciate the interest from all of the jockeys from all over the country in riding him in the Belmont Stakes. The fact that so many jockeys were interested in riding him encouraged us even more to run in the Belmont. There are so many good jockeys here and it was a very difficult decision to pick up the right one. “The reason we decided on Edgar was his experience in the Belmont Stakes. I think he is the best choice for the Belmont Stakes.” Prado has ridden in eight Belmonts, winning in 2002 with Sarava and in 2004 with Birdstone, which ruined the respective Triple Crown bids of War Emblem and Smarty Jones. Sarava, who paid $142.50, remains the highest $2 win payoff in Belmont Stakes history. If Prado wins the Belmont, he will be tied with Braulio Baeza, Pat Day, Laffitt Pincay Jr., Gary Stevens and James Stout. Earle Sande and Bill Shoemaker won five Belmonts, and the only two jockeys to win six Belmonts are James McLaughlin and Eddie Arcaro.

Casino Drive
will head into the Belmont with only two races under his belt, including a
11 1/2-length maiden victory on February 23 in Japan. Tada said he was not concerned with the
colt’s slim resume. Casino Drive is undefeated, as is Triple Crown contender BIG
BROWN (Boundary). Seattle Slew (1977) is the only horse to win the Triple Crown
while undefeated.

“We wish he
could race once or twice more, but he did very well in the Peter Pan,” Tada
said. “He’s not too experienced but he’s fine. Experience is needed, but you
don’t need too many races.”

Casino Drive
was purchased for $950,000 at the 2006 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, after his half-brother Jazil
(Seeking the Gold) won the
Belmont but before his three-quarter sister, Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy), became the
first filly in 102 years to win the 1 1/2-mile classic.

“We didn’t
bring him here, his pedigree brought him here,” Tada said. “He was a nice, big,
leggy, tall colt (when we bought him) and we thought he could race on the turf,
too.”

Tada said
trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, who will saddle Crystal Wing (Admire Vega) in the Japan
Derby (Jpn-G1) this weekend, would be arriving in New York on Tuesday. He added
that all
of Casino Drive’s connections, particularly his owner, have a great deal of
respect for Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown and are looking forward to competing
against him in the third leg of the Triple Crown.

“As a
sportsman (Mr. Yamamoto) is very happy to have a horse like Big Brown in the
race,” Tada said.

About 25
minutes after Casino Drive’s tour of the main track at Belmont Park, Big Brown, with exercise rider Michelle Nevin aboard, had his
first gallop since developing a slight quarter crack in his left-front foot over
the weekend.

“Today the
foot has cooled out and he’s getting pretty antsy, as you can see, in the barn
so the best thing for him is to get him to the track and let him do what he
wants to do,” said hoof specialist Ian McKinlay, who on Monday repaired the
five-eighths inch-long crack by lacing it together with stainless steel wires.

Tuesday
morning, after having remained in the barn over the Memorial Day weekend, the
Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1) winner had a jog around the track.

“The first
thing we looked at this morning, you can go around the hairline and where there
was an abscess it drained, so you have a pocket and physically you can feel a
little hole,” McKinlay said Wednesday. “It’s definitely improving. Both feet are
the same temperature. When one foot is warmer than the other is when you have a
problem. The skin is drying right out and the horse seems fabulous.”

McKinlay said
Nevin reported the colt “felt great” and appeared very “comfortable.”

Looking
ahead, McKinlay said a patch of an acrylic adhesive, along with some fiberglass
mesh, would be applied to the hoof, probably within two days.

“As far as
patching now we’ll come back Friday,” he said. “We’re just trying to stay out of
the way and let nature take its course.”

McKinlay said
the colt will not breeze until the patch is in place.

Multiple Group 1 winner TOMCITO (Street Cry [Ire]), who
underwent a myectomy three days after his seventh-place finish in the May 10
Peter Pan, had his first serious move since then, going seven furlongs in 1:29
4/5 at Belmont Park on Wednesday. It was the only work at the distance.

“He did what
we wanted,” trainer Dante Zanelli said. “The idea was to let him stretch out and
get (jockey Alan) Garcia adjusted to him. He was happy with the breeze. I didn’t
want to do anything fast.”

Garcia will
replace Cornelio Velasquez aboard Tomcito for the Belmont, Zanelli reported.

“My uncle
started Alan Garcia in Peru, and this is what the owners and my uncle wanted,” Zanelli
said. “This is taking away nothing from Cornelio, he rode a good race, it was
just that the horse displaced (his palate).”

Next week, Zanelli said Tomcito might gallop once around “and finish the last
half.

“He’ll show
us what he needs,” Zanelli said.

Assistant
trainer Robin Smullen reported TALE OF EKATI (Tale of the Cat) galloped a mile over the main track
at Belmont Park and that his schedule would remain the same after Monday’s six-furlong move in 1:18
4/5, which was the fastest of three works at the distance.

“The track
was slow,” Smullen said. “We plan on breezing him back on Sunday.”