Basin in, Gouverneur Morris out of 2020 Belmont Stakes

And then there were eight contenders, it seems.

Minutes after Ryne Poncik, a partner in the 3-year-old colt Basin, confirmed on Wednesday plans to run in the June 20 Belmont Stakes, the Daily Racing Form’s Dave Grening reported that Gouverneur Morris will bypass the first leg of the Triple Crown in favor of Keeneland’s July 11 Blue Grass Stakes (G2).

“We were just waiting to see how he was training,” Poncik said of Basin, a Liam’s Map colt who emerged last season when winning Saratoga’s Hopeful Stakes (G1).

This year, Basin has competed around two turns, finishing third in Oaklawn Park’s Rebel Stakes (G2), fourth in the Oaklawn Stakes and second most recently in a division of the Arkansas Derby (G1). The Jackpot Farm color bearer stands to be promoted to another Grade 1 score should Charlatan, whose initial test returned positive for a medication overage, be disqualified.

Poncik said Basin worked last week with leading older female Midnight Bisou at Churchill Downs, holding his own through five furlongs in 1:00.40. His Tuesday breeze with stakes-placed Talk Veuve to Me came in at 5/8 in 1:00.20.

“They’re pulling blood today to make sure that’s all good,” Poncik said. “His energy level’s good. That last race took a lot out of him — three races in seven weeks — and now he’s training well.”

With the Belmont measuring 1 1/8 miles in 2020, the race will cut Basin back to one turn for the first time since he won the Hopeful at seven furlongs.

“He’s getting better at two turns, but he obviously loves one-turn races,” Poncik said. “I think he’ll relish it.”

Basin’s other option was the Blue Grass, now the target for Gouverneur Morris, who’s trained by Todd Pletcher for Team Valor International and WinStar Farm.

The Constitution colt, Grade 1-placed at age 2 when a distant second to Maxfield in Keeneland’s Breeders’ Futurity (G1), has run three times this season. A winner off the bench in allowance company at Tampa Bay Downs, he has since finished fourth in the Florida Derby (G1) and third behind Basin in the Arkansas Derby.

Maxfield is out of the picture for the Blue Grass due to a condylar fracture, leaving it a wide-open race during the abbreviated summer meet in Lexington, Ky.

Pletcher trains two colts still pointing to the Belmont in Dr Post and Farmington Road.

A look at the prospective field as of Wednesday is below.