2011 Belmont Stakes Trainers
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
The Belmont Stakes is the third leg of the Triple Crown and the year 2011 marks the 143rd running of this race. It is the oldest and most demanding of the three Triple Crown races, being run on a 1 ½-mile oval in Elmont, New York. Trainers have their work cut out for them in trying to prepare their horses for this grueling run, which certainly tests the stamina and heart of a horse.
I’m going to give a brief history of the trainers which have guided horses in the Belmont Stakes, as well as providing some information on the trainers that have contenders in the field this year. While it’s certainly not the most important aspect of handicapping horse racing, backing a trainer with a proven track record is rarely a bad move. They can make all of the difference and in the end, trainers are the ones in charge of making sure their horses are fully prepared come race day.
Woody Stephens has pulled off something that is one of the single-most impressive feats by a trainer of all-time. Stephens registered five consecutive Belmont Stakes victories from 1982-86, holding the record for most wins in a row at this race. Hall of Famer Nick Zito has sent out more starters than any other modern-day trainer as 22 of his horses have run in the Belmont. He saddled both Birdstone in 2004 and Da’Tara in 2008 when they ended the Triple Crown bids of Smarty Jones and Big Brown, respectively.
D.Wayne Lucas is another Hall of Fame trainer who is right behind Zito with 21 career starts. The all-time leader in wins in this race is James Rowe with eight, followed by Sam Hildreth with seven, “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons with six and the aforementioned Woody Stephens with five. Only two horsemen in the long history of the Belmont have ever won as both a jockey and a trainer. Those two are James Rowe and George Martin Odom.
Sadly, Hall of Famers D.Wayne Lukas, Bob Baffert and Zito will all be absent from the Belmont for the first time since 1993. None of these three famous trainers decided to enter a horse in 2011. This trio has a combined seven Belmont wins since 1993, with Lukas leading the way with four during that time. Zito has won twice and Baffert once. Todd Pletcher is the only trainer with a horse in the Belmont this year to have previously won the event.
Pletcher saddled filly Rags to Riches back in 2007, and she beat Curlin by a head. Curlin went on to win Horse of the Year, so it was no small feat. Stay Thirsty represents the 11th Belmont runner for Pletcher, who is a five-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top trainer. Of the 12 trainers that will be getting horses ready for the 2011 Belmont Stakes, half of them will be making their debuts in this race. They are Doodnauth Shivmangal, Kathy Ritvo, Kelly Breen, Eddie Kenneally, Ignacio Correas IV and Aiden O’Brien.
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