Bravazo 'a much better horse' for Belmont 2018 than Preakness

Justify and Calumet Farm's Preakness runner-up Bravazo were the only racehorses on the track Tuesday during Churchill Downs' special 7:30-7:40 a.m. time slot for 2018 Belmont Stakes horses. Bravazo had another lively gallop under exercise rider Danielle Rosier.

"He's had a good week," said trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner. "Good energy, bucking and jumping during his gallops, which is kind of unusual."

Lukas said Bravazo reiterated will have one work between the Preakness and Belmont, possibly this Thursday. "I'm going to play it by ear," he said. "It could be tomorrow, Thursday, Friday."

  Lukas, who was on the track on his pony, got a close look at Justify's work, joking, "I tried to keep Bravazo from looking at him because I didn't want him to go off his feed and be intimidated, so we had to be careful. I told Danielle, 'When he goes by, just kind of cover that right eye.'"

Asked if Bravazo gets a close look at all the motivational signs Lukas has hanging in his barn while walking the shedrow, he said more seriously, "He's actually buying into what we're doing pretty good. He's a much better horse than I took to the Preakness, I know that. He'll have to be."

Of Justify's work, Lukas said: "His efficiency of motion is so good and so effortless. That work today, I thought he could have gone in :50 the way he did it. It was just effortless, there was no effort at all. When you have that efficiency of motion like that, I think the mile and a half is well within his scope."

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Tenfold had a walk day Tuesday after galloping two miles on Monday. Scott Blasi, assistant trainer to Steve Asmussen, said the Preakness Stakes third-place finisher is expected to have his one pre-Belmont work this Saturday.