Point Given Is Rearing to Go

A few days after a morning accident at Churchill Downs resulted in a four-stitch repair job to his head, Point Given reared up twice along the shedrow at Belmont Park on Thursday, forcing his exercise rider, Pepe Aragon, to jump off.

Rather than fret, trainer Bob Baffert now takes these incidents in stride. Point Given has frequently acted up, including similar incidents before the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, so Thursday’s brief escapade belonged to the what-else-is-new department.

Point Given, the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, galloped 1 1/4 miles Thursday as he exercised over the Belmont racing strip for the first time since his second-place finish behind A P Valentine in October’s Champagne Stakes. Point Given worked five furlongs Monday in 59 3/5 at Churchill Downs, then was flown to New York Wednesday.

Point Given won the Preakness after finishing fifth as the favorite in the Derby. Besides A P Valentine, his other opponents in the Belmont will be the Derby winner Monarchos, Invisible Ink, Balto Star, Dollar Bill, Thunder Blitz, Buckle Down Ben and Dr Greenfield.