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| - French jockey Flavien Prat, who rode Rombauer to victory in last month's Preakness, seeks his first Belmont Stakes triumph Saturday aboard Hot Rod Charlie in the Triple Crown classic. After taking his first triumph in the middle leg of the US flat racing treble, Prat mounts Hot Rod Charlie for the Belmont, having already agreed to ride the horse before mounting the Preakness winner. The jockey aboard Rombauer instead will be Puerto Rican John Velazquez, a two-time Belmont Stakes champion on Rages to Riches in 2007 and Union Rags in 2012 and a four-time Kentucky Derby winner. Velazquez rode Medina Spirit across the finish line first in last month's Kentucky Derby, but the horse has tested postive for a banned substance, according to lawyers for trainer Bob Baffert. Medina Spirit is expected to be disqualified once a probe by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is completed, which would advance runner-up Mandaloun into the winner's spot for the May 1 classic at Churchill Downs. Baffert was banned from entering horses at the Belmont Stakes and was issued a two-year suspension Wednesday by Churchill Downs. Hot Rod Charlie was third at the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness, giving him more rest for the longest of the Triple Crown races at 1 1/2 miles. "He looked great and did it easy," trainer Doug O'Neill said of Hot Rod Charlie. "One day at a time, but so far so good." Essential Quality, a 2-1 oddsmakers favorite, was drawn into the second post from the rail, just inside the second choice, 3-1 Rombauer, with Hot Rod Charlie, fancied third at 7-2, starting from the number four gate. Rombauer was brought to Belmont directly from Baltimore after his Preakness win at Pimlico. "He has been here for nearly three weeks, so nothing is new to him at this point," trainer Michael McCarthy said. "He has been settling in nicely." Essential Quality, who will start under Luis Saez, finished fourth at the Derby after the previously unbeaten colt was made an early favorite. "He seemed to get over the ground really well," trainer Brad Cox said after an Essential Quality training run. "My assistant, Dustin Dugas, was on him. It went very smooth. "Dustin came back and said he's a very smooth-going horse and intelligent. That's what you want to hear from the guy on his back." Bourbonic (15-1) starts along the rail while the field also includes France Go de Ina (30-1) from the fifth gate with Known Agenda (6-1) sixth, Rock Your World (9-2) in seventh and Overtook (20-1) on the outside in the eight-horse field. Overtook is the only horse in the field who did not run either of the prior Triple Crown races, finishing third in last month's Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont. Trainer Todd Pletcher has three horses in the lineup in Overtook, Florida derby winner Known Agenda and Bourbonic. Rombauer trainer McCarthy is a former Pletcher assistant. js/rcw
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