BELMONT O’Brien has Hunting Horn primed for Belmont Derby

ELMONT, N.Y. – In the three runnings of the Belmont Derby in which he has participated, trainer Aidan O’Brien has a win, a second, and a third from five starters.

Saturday, O’Brien is back for another crack at the Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby with Hunting Horn, who is coming off an eye-catching 4 1/2-length victory in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes on June 21 at Royal Ascot.

Hunting Horn drew post 4 in a field of nine 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Belmont Derby, one of five graded stakes on an 11-race card that begins at 1:30 p.m.

Hunting Horn may have beat Group 3 horses in the Hampton Court, but his previous form was flattered by the results of last Saturday’s Group 1 Irish Derby, in which Latrobe and Rostropovich ran 1-2.

Hunting Horn defeated Latrobe in an April maiden race. In the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club on June 3 at Chantilly, Hunting Horn finished sixth, beaten 2 1/4 lengths, while Rostropovich finished ninth. That race was run over soft turf.

T.J. Comerford, the traveling assistant to O’Brien, believes Hunting Horn, as a son of Camelot, will appreciate firm ground as several of his progeny did at Royal Ascot.

“They seem to like the hard ground, which is good, unusually good,” Comerford said.

O’Brien won the Belmont Derby in 2016 with Deauville. Last year, Homesman and Whitecliffsofdover finished third and seventh, respectively.

Ryan Moore, who has never ridden at Belmont Park, is named to ride Hunting Horn.

Hunting Horn was one of two European-based horses entered in the Derby. Kingstar, a son of Forest Green who has won 2 of 3 starts but has yet to run in a group race, is the other.

The Derby field, from the rail out: Channel Cat, Encumbered, Analyze It, Hunting Horn, Maraud, Kingstar, Catholic Boy, Hawkish, and My Boy Jack.

The Derby will be televised on Fox Sports 2 in a one-hour broadcast from 6-7 p.m. Eastern that also will include the Grade 2 Suburban.

Athena on short rest

O’Brien will be represented in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks by Athena, who is running back six days after finishing third in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland.

“Personally, it doesn’t bother me,” T.J. Comerford, the traveling assistant to O’Brien, said of the quick turnaround. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

Athena, a daughter of Camelot, has one win from eight starts.

Comerford believes “the mile and a quarter is her trip.” In the 1 1/4-mile Pretty Polly, Comerford said, “she finished up really well.”

Athena drew post 6 in a 10-horse field where Toinette, winner of the Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs, La Signare, and Significant Form figure to vie for favoritism.

The Oaks field, from the rail out: Significant Form, Chipolata, Paved, Capla Temptress, Toinette, Athena, La Signare, Thewayiam, Fatale Bere, and Mighty Scarlett.

The Oaks will be broadcast live on NBC Sports in a 90-minute telecast beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. That show includes a live telecast of the Dwyer for 3-year-olds and the Belmont Sprint Championship, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Gold Cup winners clash

Hoppertunity, winner of the 2016 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Diversify, winner of the 2017 Jockey Club Gold Cup, head a field of 11 entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Suburban.

Hoppertunity, trained by Bob Baffert, is 2 for 2 at Belmont Park, having also won the Grade 2 Brooklyn last month. He has won 9 of 32 starts and earned $4.6 million. He will break from post 8 under Flavien Prat.

Diversify, from Rick Violette’s barn, is jumping back into open company after winning the Commentator Stakes for New York-breds last out. In that race, he showed the ability to be successful from just off the pace. He will break from post 10 under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Also entered in the Suburban, at 1 1/4 miles, were Name Changer, War Story, Zanotti, Tapwrit, Dr. Dorr, Discreet Lover, Take Your Guns, Sorry Erik, and The Lieutenant. In other stakes: ◗ Limousine Liberal looks like the horse to beat in a field of six entered in the Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship at seven furlongs.

Limousine Liberal is a fourtime winner at the distance and cutting back off a thirdplace finish in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at a mile. He breaks from the rail under Jose Ortiz. Outside of him, in order, are Whitmore, Eye Luv Lulu, Shaft of Light, Lewisfield, and Favorable Outcome.

◗ Mendelssohn drew post 6 of 7 in the Grade 3, $300,000 Dwyer Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile.

Mendelssohn won the UAE Derby by 18 1/2 lengths and then finished last of 20 in the Kentucky Derby. His connections are targeting the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November and hope this is a first step to get there.

Mendelssohn is trained by Aidan O’Brien, as is Dwyer entrant Seahenge, who finished seventh of 14 in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile.

Seahenge drew the rail and is followed, in post order, by Seven Trumpets, Rugbyman, Noble Indy, Fixedincome Larry, Mendelssohn, and Firenze Fire.

Jerkens gets stents

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens was expected to be released from a Long Island hospital Thursday following surgery to put in two stents to clear blocked arteries, according to his wife, Shirley.

Jerkens, 59, had a stress test Monday morning and then underwent surgery later that afternoon, according to Shirley Jerkens.

“He had some blockage, they put two stents in, he’s doing a lot better,” she said Wednesday.

Shirley Jerkens said she expects her husband to be at his Belmont Park barn Friday morning.

“He’ll go to the barn every day, but he’s going to have to take it easy, if that’s possible” she said.

Jimmy Jerkens, the son of the late Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, has won 783 races since going out on his own in 1997. On Saturday, he won the Grade 2 King Edward at Woodbine with Delta Prince.