BELMONT STAKES Pletcher will saddle two horses

Nation's top trainer seeks first triple crown victory
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Belmont Stakes may be lacking star power without the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners, but that doesn't bother Todd Pletcher.
The nation's top trainer is still looking for that elusive first victory in a Triple Crown race, and he just may have the horses to pull it off in Saturday's $1 million Belmont.
Pletcher will saddle two of the most accomplished 3-year-olds in the race, Derby runner-up Bluegrass Cat and Peter Pan Stakes winner Sunriver.
"I would think we are in the best position we've been in -- with both horses," Pletcher said Monday outside his barn after his colts had their final tuneups before the 1 1/2-mile race.
Without injured Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini in the field, Pletcher's horses are likely to be among the favorites in a probable field of 12. The post position draw is Wednesday.
Bluegrass Cat was among the early Derby favorites before a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes, 21 1/4 lengths behind the winner Sinister Minister. But the son of Storm Cat rebounded with a solid effort in the Derby at 30-1 odds.
Sunriver, meanwhile, didn't have enough graded stakes earnings to make the Derby field, so Pletcher had him ready for the Peter Pan at Belmont May 20.
The colts are two of only four horses set for the Belmont with at least one graded stakes victory. Bluegrass Cat won the Grade 3 Nashua and the Grade 2 Remsen as a 2-year-old; the Peter Pan is a Grade 2 race. The others are Bob and John (Grade 1 Wood Memorial) and Deputy Glitters (Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby).
He's 0-14 in Derby tries
Pletcher has won many of the biggest races with a star-studded stable totaling about 175 horses, though he's well aware of his 0-fer at Triple Crown time -- he's 0-for-14 in the Derby, 0-for-1 in the Preakness and 0-for-4 in the Belmont.
"As far as the Derby goes, 0-for-14 doesn't look great, but when you look into it closer the horses ran pretty well," Pletcher said. "But [people] only remember one thing ... ."
In six Derbies, Pletcher has finished second with Bluegrass Cat and Invisible Ink (2001), third with Impeachment (2000) and fourth with Limehouse (2004) and More Than Ready (2000).
"We had horses ready to run, and they ran the best race they were capable of running that day," he said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough to win it."
The timing seems right for a Pletcher breakthrough in the Belmont.
Bluegrass Cat is 2-for-2 over the Belmont track and will be reunited with John Velazquez, who missed the Derby while recuperating from a cracked shoulder blade and bruised ribs.
The colt has four victories in eight starts, with earnings of $761,280 for WinStar Farm.
"I'm feeling very confident with this horse," Velazquez said. "The only race that was a little disappointment to me was the one in Keeneland [the Blue Grass]. He's a very good horse. I've always liked him. He's won at Belmont ... it's really a big plus."
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