Senior Investment has Final Work Before Belmont Stakes 2017

Fern Circle Stable's Belmont Stakes 2017 contender Senior Investment was in good order after Tuesday morning's four-furlong work on the main track. Jockey Dylan Davis was once again aboard the son of Discreetly Mine, taking him through a quarter-mile in 25 2/5 seconds, with a final time of 50.19 before galloping out five eighths in 1:02 4/5.

It was the second and final work for the Ken McPeek trainee since his third-place finish in the Grade 1 Preakness on May 20.

"It was a simple half-mile, nothing complicated, just let him stretch his legs over the track," McPeek said. "I think that horses need a little work over this racetrack before they run here and he handled it fine. What I call a 'happy half' - just keep him happy, switch his leads, give him a peek at the scenery, all that. Dylan said he was a little conservative with him, just kind of went easy and finished up well."

Saturday's 149th running of the Belmont Stakes will be McPeek's sixth start in the Belmont after he saddled Pineaff in an attempt to dethrone Charismatic's bid for a Triple Crown in 1999. The former hotwalker for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey changed his training tactics after Pineaff was a well-beaten ninth.

"The first horse I ran in the Belmont was in 1999 and he never trained over it, and it was a disaster; the horse got beat like 50 lengths," McPeek said. "When I came back, I decided that I'd have a horse that trained here and that's what it is. He just needed a little work over the track and he got it and handled it great. He cooled out good."

McPeek returned to deny Victory Gallop's Triple Crown when Sarava became the longest price in the history of the Belmont in 2002.  Sarava went off at 70-1, and returned $142.50. McPeek saddled Atigun to a third-place finish in 2012, then finished off the board with Unstoppable U (6th) in 2012 and Frac Daddy (14th) in 2013.

Source: NYRA