Baffert confident in Belmont 2018’s Restoring Hope, too

With Justify already back to the barn and a large gaggle of onlookers following, trainer Bob Baffert’s second 2018 Belmont Stakes contender headed to the track Monday for a breeze indicating he could move forward in Saturday’s race.

A son of Giant’s Causeway, Restoring Hope drilled six furlongs in 1:13 after clicking through a half mile in 48.40 seconds and 5/8 in 1:00.20. The colt purposefully moved quicker than his Triple Crown hopeful stablemate, who finished his own five-panel move in 1:01.40.

“He went really well — probably went a little faster,” Baffert said. “I wanted to do a little more with him.”

That’s given Restoring Hope last started on the Kentucky Derby undercard, failing to fire in the Pat Day Mile (G3) around one turn. Stretching out, and over a fast track, he’s expected by Baffert to be “forwardly placed” in the Belmont.

“He’s well-bred, but he’s as good as the majority of them in there, I think,” Baffert said. “He ran well in California. I’ve always thought he was a really top horse. I really thought he was a Derby horse.”

Restoring Hope broke his maiden Feb. 2 at Santa Anita Park but didn’t race again until shipped for the Wood Memorial (G2). It was Baffert’s intention to start the horse in a softer spot, but the Sunland Derby (G3) drew a full field, and Restoring Hope just missed the cut based on earnings.

The dark bay ran third in the Wood behind the dueling Vino Rosso and Enticed.

“He was really green for that race — he was off and on,” Baffert said. “Then at the end he started kicking back on again.”

Jockey Florent Geroux, who was up for Monday’s work, has the mount.

“He knows him really well,” Baffert added, describing Restoring Hope as a “steady, one-pace kind of horse.”

Last week, the Hall of Famer likened Restoring Hope to a rabbit — not in the traditional sense of a pace setter attempting to collapse the front end, making way for a deep closer. But rather, he could provide a target off which Justify could set modest fractions in his quest to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.

Still, the colt is a bit of an unknown, given he’s one of four horses in the field (along with Gronkowski, Blended Citizen and Seahenge) who hasn’t started in a previous Triple Crown race.

Said Baffert: “We’ll see what he does.”