Sole Volante prepping for 2020 Belmont Stakes
Sole Volante, an expected starter for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, could have one tune-up race before the rescheduled Classic, with trainer Patrick Biancone saying an allowance contest on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park potentially serving as the springboard for his first trip to the Empire State.
"He's doing good, unfortunately we missed a work with the bad weather, but there's a race for us next Wednesday in the book and he's going to run that," Biancone said. "We need to give him a prep race. Nothing replaces a race, so we'll run him there and hopefully he runs like we expect and then he'll be in a van the following Monday for Belmont Park."
2020 Belmont Stakes Odds & Entries
Race 10 at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 20 - Post 5:42 PM
| Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tap It to Win | 6-1 | John Velazquez 126 Lbs |
Mark Casse |
| 2 | Sole Volante | 9-2 | Luca Panici 126 Lbs |
Patrick Biancone |
| 3 | Max Player | 15-1 | Joel Rosario 126 Lbs |
Linda Rice |
| 4 | Modernist | 15-1 | Junior Alvarado 126 Lbs |
William Mott |
| 5 | Farmington Road | 15-1 | Javier Castellano 126 Lbs |
Todd Pletcher |
| 6 | Fore Left | 30-1 | Jose Ortiz 126 Lbs |
Doug O'Neill |
| 7 | Jungle Runner | 50-1 | Reylu Gutierrez 126 Lbs |
Steven Asmussen |
| 8 | Tiz the Law | 6-5 | Manuel Franco 126 Lbs |
Barclay Tagg |
| 9 | Dr Post | 5-1 | Irad Ortiz, Jr. 126 Lbs |
Todd Pletcher |
| 10 | Pneumatic | 8-1 | Ricardo Santana, Jr. 126 Lbs |
Steven Asmussen |
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Sole Volante started his sophomore campaign running third in the Mucho Macho Man in January at Gulfstream before winning the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis on February 8 at Tampa Bay Downs. On the same track, the Karakontie colt ran second to 49-1 shot King Guillermo in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 7.
Since then, Sole Volante has been training at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Florida. His last recorded breeze was on May 29, with inclement weather nixing this week's scheduled workout.
"He galloped nice and happy for a month in April and re-started the program in May. Unfortunately, we got a bit of bad weather this week and missed a work on Wednesday, but it looks to be better coming up and we hope to get a good race," Biancone said.
Sole Volante, owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Andie Biancone and Limelight Stables, has never finished off the board, posting a 3-1-1 record in five starts with earnings of $266,310. His conditioner said the time off has helped him stay fresh while also providing time to put on weight.
"He's grown and matured everywhere - physically and mentally, too. He's a man now and he was a boy before," Biancone said.
The re-scheduled Belmont Stakes will have a different look this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent rescheduled races making the Belmont the first leg of the Triple Crown instead of the concluding race. The distance has also been scaled back from 1 ½ miles to 1 1/8 for this year's edition.
"They had no choice because to come back for a mile and a half, that would have been hard on the horses. I'm a little disappointed because Sole Volante might be the only [3-year-old] in the country who could go a mile and a half right now," Biancone said with a laugh. "But we have to take what he gives to us and hopefully he stays healthy and we'll get a better second part of the year than the first one."
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Early look at the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes - Saturday, June 20
Possible (4): Maxfield (Brendan Walsh), Ny Traffic (Saffie Joseph, Jr.), Pneumatic (Steve Asmussen), Shivaree (Ralph Nicks)
