Robby Albarado to Ride Denis of Cork at Belmont Stakes

Robby Albarado may ride Denis of Cork to a win at Belmont Stakes (AP Images)

With media attention divided between Big Brown’s impressive Derby victory and Eight Belles’ untimely breakdown, the performance of Denis of Cork went almost unnoticed. The Derby third-place finisher won his first three starts, including Oaklawn’s Gr. 3 Southwest Stakes before turning in a disappointing fifth-place effort in the Gr. 2 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne. He rebounded in the Derby after a questionable ride and appears to be a legitimate contender in the upcoming Belmont Stakes.

The colt gets what could be a pivotal rider change to Robby Albarado for the 1 ½ mile Belmont. Calvin Borel was aboard in the Derby, and after breaking from the outside, the rider snatched his mount immediately and veered to the rail to save ground. The pair ended up last, close to 20 lengths behind the early leaders before eventually rallying in the stretch to finish third, 8 ¼ lengths behind Big Brown in the 1 ¼ mile classic. A more aggressive ride might have got the late closer second money and he should handle the Belmont’s extra yardage.

Denis of Cork worked an impressive five furlongs in 1:01 on a fast track at Churchill Downs on Monday and is scheduled for another similar move early next week before shipping to New York on June 3.

"He's just starting to come back to himself," trainer David Carroll reported. "He finished up strong in the Derby and galloped out. With all the rain we've had here, I didn't do a whole lot with him since the Derby. You don't have to do a whole lot with him. Today we just let him stretch his legs, and he just went beautiful."

Carroll doesn’t need encouragement to take on Big Brown in the Belmont, having been part of an upset in the historic race himself. In 1989, he was a gallop boy for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and exercised Kentucky Derby and Preakness runner-up Easy Goer. His Belmont victory dashed the Triple Crown hopes of Sunday Silence, one of 18 horses to lose the Triple Crown in the final leg.

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