Mike Smith to Ride Meantime in Belmont Stakes 2017 (VIDEO)

Silverton Hill's Grade 3 Peter Pan runner-up Meantime breezed five-eighths over the Belmont Park main track Saturday morning, his final work ahead of a bid in the 2017 Belmont Stakes.

Meantime, a 3-year-old Shackleford colt trained by Brian Lynch, covered the distance in 1:01.66 with jockey Mike Luzzi aboard, and quickly caught up to another Lynch trainee, who had broken off about a sixteenth of a mile ahead of Meantime, as the pair galloped out around the clubhouse turn.

"It wasn't the most orthodox work," said Lynch. "We tried to work him with another horse and the other horse broke off too far in front of him, but he had a good target to chase. The work was comfortable enough. [I] didn't want Mike to push on him too hard, we worked him quite quick last week, a little quicker than I wanted going into a long race. It was more of a comfort work today with a good gallop out, and inevitably he ended up catching the horse on the gallop out.

"When I look at the big picture, it probably was a pretty good work," he added. "[He] went 1:01 and change and out in 1:14, so I think it was the work we were looking for. Watching him come off the track, he had minimal blow and seemed to have a good  recovery rate. I think he's a pretty fit horse going into it, so I think we'll roll the dice and move forward."

Meantime has been first or second through the early stages in each of his four career starts, including a 7 ½-length victory in a maiden special weight at Keeneland in April and a second-place finish to Timeline in the May 13 Peter Pan on a sloppy and sealed track, both at 1 1/8 miles.

"I think he's a horse that'll be up in the first tier of horses and a lot of the times that's where the Belmont is won," said Lynch. "Whoever is one-two-three going into the first turn usually finishes one-two-three, so I think tactically, he's the right horse to try and do it with it. I think fitness-wise, the mile and a half will be a test, but he's as good as we can get him."

Hall of Famer Mike Smith is confirmed for the mount, said Lynch.

"I hadn't really committed to a rider and he was available," he explained. "So I thought, nobody better than a big money rider for a race like this, and I've got a long rapport with Mike from California years ago, so I think if he feels I'm going to take a shot, he'll take a shot with me. He's certainly a rider who shows up on big days and hopefully we've got an up-and-coming horse that provides the talent he needs to get it done."

Source: NYRA