Walden Ponders His Chances

Trainer Elliott Walden predicts that Charismatic’s hectic race schedule will eventually catch up with him. Walden doesn’t know when Charismatic will hit the wall, but he hopes it’s Saturday, when he’ll try to beat the Kentucky Derby-Preakness winner with Menifee in the Belmont Stakes.

Charismatic, fourth in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3 and winner of the Lexington Stakes on April 18 at Keeneland before the Triple Crown series began, will be making his fifth start in 64 days in the Belmont. If he becomes the 12th Triple Crown champion--and the first since 1978--he’ll win a $5-million bonus and $600,000 in Belmont purse money.

Menifee lost by a nose in the Derby and was second again, this time by 1 1/2 lengths, in the Preakness.

“At some point, all this racing has to catch up with Charismatic,” Walden said. “Whether that’s Saturday, I don’t know, but one of these days he’ll have to pay the fiddler. Charismatic’s a big physical specimen--he’s as wide as he is tall--and that’s why he’s well-suited to running as often as he does. But I still believe that at some point the bubble will burst.”

Walden’s Victory Gallop won last year’s Belmont, ending Real Quiet’s quest for the Triple Crown.

Charismatic was installed as the 2-1 favorite Wednesday, when 12 horses were entered for the 131st Belmont. At 7-2 is Menifee, followed at 4-1 by Silverbulletday.

An allowance for fillies means Silverbulletday will carry 121 pounds, five fewer than the other horses.

Four of the horses--Charismatic, Silverbulletday, Pineaff and Prime Directive--have been training at Churchill Downs and were flown here Wednesday. The flight was delayed 90 minutes because of electrical thunderstorms in the Louisville area, which resulted in a noon arrival at Belmont Park.

“I’m not here as a spoiler, I’m just a guy trying to win the race,” said Walden, echoing trainer Bob Baffert’s comment when he was asked about running Silverbulletday.

Horse Racing Notes

The weather is hot--temperatures in the high 80s--and humid in New York. Showers are possible today and Friday, with the forecast for Saturday calling for partly sunny skies, no rain and temperatures that might hit 90 degrees. . . . Visa U.S.A., which has been sponsoring the $5-million Triple Crown bonus since 1996, has signed on to continue backing the series through 2005. . . . Gary Stevens, the California-based jockey who began a summer of riding in England this week, rode two winners Tuesday at the Sandown course, but was warned by stewards there about possible violations of the strict rules regarding jockeys’ whips. . . . Victory Gallop, who’ll face Silver Charm in the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 12, has a long-term goal of running in the $1-million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 29.

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Belmont Stakes Draw

Post positions and early odds for Saturday’s 131st running of the Belmont Stakes. A race for 3-year-olds, Grade 1, 1 1/2 miles on dirt (Purse: $1 million; Post time: 2:30 p.m. PDT; TV--Channel 7):

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PP Horse Jockey Trainer Odds 1. Teletable John Velazquez A. Callejas 99-1 2. Vision And Verse H. Castillo, Jr. B. Mott 20-1 3. Silverbulletday Jerry Bailey B. Baffert 4-1 4. Charismatic Chris Antley W. Lukas 2-1 5. Pineaff S. LeJeune Jr. K. McPeek 30-1 6. Lemon Drop Kid Jose Santos S. Schulhofer 20-1 7. Patience Game Kent Desormeaux A. Hassinger 20-1 8. Adonis Jorge Chavez N. Zito 20-1 9. Prime Directive Mike Smith P. Byrne 30-1 10. Menifee Pat Day E. Walden 7-2 11. Stephen Got Even Shane Sellers N. Zito 10-1 12. Best Of Luck Jean Luc Samyn A. Jerkens 6-1

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Note: All carry 126 pounds, with exception of Silverbulletday, a filly, who carries 121.