By ED FOUNTAINE
May 27, 2008
Three Belmont Stakes candidates worked out yesterday morning. At Belmont Park, with jockey Eibar Coa up, Tale of Ekati breezed a dawdling six furlongs in 1:18.97, prompting trainer Barclay Tagg to remark, "This is not what I wanted."
Over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga, Anak Nakal went a half-mile in :48.68 for Nick Zito. At Churchill Downs, trainer David Carrol sent Denis of Cork five furlongs in :59.4 with his new rider, Robby Albarado, in the boot.
* Hip-hip-hooray for NYRA for carding 11 races yesterday, with featured Met Mile off at 5:52 p.m., giving 12,562 fans time to rush home for Memorial Day barbecues.
Belmont is dark today and tomorrow; racing resumes Thursday.
TENTH RACE: Divine Park, 4-year-old colt trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, took advantage of a scorching speed duel to win yesterday's traditional Memorial Day fixture at Belmont, the Grade 1, $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap by two lengths with late run under Alan Garcia. Third straight win and sixth in eight starts for the son of Chester House, but the runner-up, 122-pound highweight Commentator, giving five pounds to Divine Park, lost nothing in defeat.
Ever since he beat eventual Horse of the Year Saint Liam in the 2005 Whitney at Saratoga, NY-bred Commentator has been striving to regain that form. But other than a couple of romps vs. state-breds, the Nick Zito-trained gelding has been a disappointment, until he was born again over this past winter at age 7, winning a pair of races at Gulfstream Park by 14 lengths.
Off those two runaways, Commentator was favored at even-money in a field of nine for the Met Mile. He dashed to front under John Velazquez to set a blistering pace (:22.48, :44.52), pressed by First Defence, who bid for lead turning for home and battled to mid-stretch, when Commentator dug in to draw clear again; but after six furlongs in 1:09.61, he could not withstand Divine Park inside final sixteenth. Divine Park, his final time a moderate 1:36.91, paid $6.50.
PICK SIX
Winning numbers: 10-9-5-4-4-7
18 winners (6 of 6) each paid $45,376
601 consolation (5 of 6) winners paid $320.50
No carryover
