Belmont Stakes 2011 - Nehro suffered on rails, Ahmed Zayat may rest him for Saratoga
Finishing as runner-up in three derbies has left Nehro and his owner, Ahmed Zayat, in a bit of a bother.
Nehro was looking good after the Kentucky Derby when he finished second to winner, Animal Kingdom. He had finished second in both the Arkansas and Louisiana Derby.
He did not run in the Preakness Stakes, as per a decision taken by Ahmed Zayat right after the Kentucky Derby.
Nehro was expected to do well in the Belmont Stakes, given that he was rested and fresher then Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, and, Mucho Macho Man, who had run both previous legs, of the Triple Crown.
A seventh career start for Nehro at the Belmont Stakes, and, sitting at 5-1, he was one of the main contenders to capture the Belmont Stakes.
Breaking from post number 6, mounted by jockey, Corey Nakatani, who was going for his first run, led Nehro to the rail right from the get go. But given the conditions and sloppy track, running on the rail wasn’t suiting the Kentucky Derby runner-up.
Nehro was beaten by the outsider/long shot, Ruler on Ice, by seven and a half lengths.
Trainer, Asmussen, explained that he had a lot of dirt to deal with in the beginning, hitting him right in the face and that might have made him lose composure early. He further said that the horse, who came in second, Stay Thirsty, never ate any mud because he was on the face and Ruler on Ice had the same fate because he was on the outside.
A bit of horse racing luck and the wet conditions at the Belmont Stakes made way for long shots.
Belmont Stakes was a huge jump for Nehro and becoming one of the favourites to win it was an achievement on its own and probably because a win was over due after all the runner-up performances.
Nehro looks good on the race track and it might not be too long before he registers a huge win.
Saratoga seems unlikely for Nehro, and, it looks as if owner, Ahmed Zayat, is going to rest him for the Saratoga race but that is uncertain too because it is decided that he will go to Saratoga race course next month and in the meanwhile he will be with Asmussen’s Belmont string.
Belmont is always full of surprises and the favourites look ordinary on the given day. Long shots are long shots for a reason and they possess the ability to spring a surprise, or, two and that is exactly what happened at the Belmont Stakes 2011, Ruler on Ice grabbed the initiative during the race and made Shackleford look ordinary.
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