Belmont Stakes 2017: Epicharis visits Belmont Park main track (VIDEO)

Photo: Adam Coglianese/NYRA
The Japanese-bred Epicharis ventured out to Belmont Park's main track Sunday morning for the first time since his U.S. arrival. 

The son of Gold Allure galloped a brisk 1 ½ miles with regular rider and assistant trainer Masa Aki in the saddle before returning to the barn. Trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara and his crew then took the colt on a schooling trip to the paddock where he took a few relaxed turns with Aki still in the irons. He was then led through the tunnel back to the main track where he stood for almost a minute. 

The plan to familiarize Epicharis with his new surroundings was another positive step towards his start in the Belmont Stakes, said his connections.


The possibility of rain in Tuesday's forecast may delay the schedule for the colt's final workout before Saturday. Epicharis will return to the track tomorrow morning and is also scheduled to stand in the starting gate.

Grade 3 Lexington winner Senior Investment, the only other Belmont contender still with a breeze on his schedule, walked Sunday. Trained by Kenny McPeek and owned by Fern Circle Stables, the Discreetly Mine colt is also currently slated to turn in his final work for the Belmont on Tuesday morning.

With the other Belmont Stakes horses training in Kentucky, the Dale Romans-trained Grade 3 Gotham winner J Boys Echo, 15th in the Kentucky Derby, walked the morning after working five-eighths of a mile in a minute at Churchill Downs. Grade 3 Illinois Derby winner Multiplier, sixth in the Preakness, did the same at Keeneland, where he worked a half-mile on Saturday in 48 3/5. Trainer Brendan Walsh, who has horses at both tracks, said Multiplier was to van over to Churchill Downs late Sunday morning because he's scheduled to load onto the van and head to Louisville International Airport at 5:30 a.m. to catch Tuesday's flight to New York

"I'm just going to give him a couple of days here, because he's going so early on Tuesday," Walsh said.

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Probable contenders for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes

Probable: Classic Empire (Mark Casse); Epicharis (Kiyoshi Hagiwara); J Boys Echo (Dale Romans); Hollywood Handsome (Dallas Stewart); Irish War Cry (Graham Motion); Lookin At Lee (Steve Asmussen); Meantime (Brian Lynch); Multiplier (Brendan Walsh); Patch (Todd Pletcher); Senior Investment (Kenny McPeek); Tapwrit (Pletcher); Twisted Tom (Chad Brown) 

Possible: Gormley (John Shirreffs) 

Probables for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Saturday, June 10, 2017:

Grade 1, $1.2 million Mohegan Sun Metropolitan H. 

"Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Division"

Probable: Awesome Slew (Casse); Denman's Call (Doug O'Neill); Economic Model (C. Brown); Inside Straight (Robert Diodoro); Mohaymen (McLaughlin); Mor Spirit (Bob Baffert); Rally Cry (Pletcher); Seymourdini (Linda Rice); Sharp Azteca (Navarro); Solid Wager (Miller); Tom's Ready (Dallas Stewart); Tommy Macho (Pletcher); Vitrual Machine (David Cannizzo)

Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan

Probable: Applicator (Mikhail Yanakov); Ascend (Motion); Beach Patrol (C. Brown); Divisidero (Buff Bradley); Potemkin (Wohler); Sadler's Joy (Tom Albertrani); Time Test (C. Brown); Wake Forest (C. Brown); World Approval (Casse)

Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps

"Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Distaff Division"

Probable: Bar of Gold (John Kimmel); Carina Mia (Mott); Factor of Faith (Joe Sharp); Highway Star (Rodrigo Ubillo); Paid Up Subscriber (C. Brown); Songbird (Jerry Hollendorfer)

Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn

Probable: Abel Tasman (Baffert); Benner Island (Brad Cox); Florida Fabulous (David Fawkes); My Miss Tapit (Pletcher); Nikki My Darling (Dominic Giglio, Jr.) Salty (Casse); Sweet Loretta (Pletcher); Tequilita (Michael Matz); Union Strike (Mick Ruis)

Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just A Game

Probable: Antonoe (C. Brown); Celestine (Clement); Dickinson (McLaughlin); Prize Exhibit (James Cassidy); Roca Rojo (C. Brown); Sassy Little Lila (Cox)

Possible: Harmonize (Mott)

Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens

Probable: American Anthem (Baffert) Aquamarine (Lukas); Classic Rock (Kathy Ritvo); Gold for the King (Charlton Baker); Hard Scramble (Asmussen); Long Haul Bay (C. Brown); Recruiting Ready (DePaz); Petrov (Moquett); The Money Monster (Mott); Wild Shot (Rusty Arnold, III.)

Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational
Probable: Doyouknowsomething (A.C. Avila); Behesht (Arnold, III.); Governor Malibu (Clement); Idolo Porteno (Ignacio Correas); Send It In (Pletcher); Sunny Ridge (Jason Servis); Tu Brutus (Gary Contessa); War Story (Navarro); 

Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational

Probable: Canadian Flyer (Mott); Conquest Enforcer (Giglio); Disco Partner (Clement); Green Mask (Cox); Hogy (Larry Rivelli); Holding Gold (Casse); Loose on the Town (Lynch); Pure Sensation (Clement); Stormy Liberal (Miller); Tombelaine (C. Brown), Undrafted (Ward)
Possible: Always Sunshine (Allard)

$150,000 Easy Goer

Probable: Giuseppe the Great (Zito); Local Hero (Asmussen); Sonic Mule (Pletcher); Super Dude (Rice); Tale of Silence (Barclay Tagg); West Coast (Baffert)

Possible: Jamminwithbrandon (Louis Liner)

Source: NYRA Communications

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