Alwaysmining 'seems to fit in well' as last-minute Easy Goer entry

Instead of another weekend workout at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland, Alwaysmining is headed to Belmont Park for the $150,000 Easy Goer, one of 10 stakes races on Belmont Stakes Day.

Alwaysmining, who had won six in a row before finishing 11th in the Grade 1 Preakness, was a last-minute entry to the 1 1/16-mile Easy Goer for 3-year-olds. 

Trainer Kelly Rubley said last weekend's workout, plus a race not far from home seems to be the right fit for the gelding's return.

"It's one turn, 1 1/16 miles and we were looking to shorten him up,'' said Rubley, who a few days earlier said she was still considering options for her first Preakness starter. "We took a look at the field and he seems to fit in well."

The Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs on June 15 also was under consideration, but Rubley chose a race that's about a four-hour van ride away. Alwaysmining, who went off at 6-1 in the Preakness, worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds on Saturday at Fair Hill.

Also entered in the six-horse Easy Goer are Dream Maker, Still Dreaming, Majid, Outshine and Grumps Little Tots.

Alwaysmining, a son of Stay Thirsty, won the final three races of his 2-year-old season, and won his next three starts in 2019 - the Miracle Wood, the Private Terms and the Federico Tesio - before the Preakness.