NOTEBOOK | Belmont Stakes

Bad actor: It took a blindfold to get Rock Hard Ten into the starting gate at Belmont Park. When the horse balked on his first approach, the starters walked him in a circle and tried again. He backed up and jockey Alex Solis patted his neck reassuringly. Rock Hard Ten wasn't buying it. He kicked his hind legs, jumped and turned sideways. Solis jumped off and the starters tied a green blindfold over the colt's eyes. This time, he went in. Trainer Jason Orman wasn't discouraged by Rock Hard Ten's fifth-place finish after the colt pressed the pace for more than a mile in the 11/2-mile race. The colt was the 6-1 second choice behind Smarty Jones. "I think we might have been too worried about Smarty Jones and not worried enough about everybody else," he said. "He's had three tough races in five weeks. He's danced every dance. He's a good horse and you'll hear more from him later on."
Nervous Purge: Trainer Todd Pletcher said Purge was beaten before he set foot on the track. The colt finished last in the nine-horse field after setting the early pace in the 11/2-mile race. "He got pretty wound up on us in the paddock, and he got excited in the post parade," Pletcher said. "He kind of unraveled with the crowd. He got a little too fired up." When Purge gave up the lead to Smarty Jones on the backside, Pletcher turned his attention to Smarty. John Velazquez and Purge were so far back, the jockey watched the infield video board to see what was happening in the stretch. "I would have liked to have seen a Triple Crown, but that's how it goes," he said.
Associated Press
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