Gormley draws post 3 in $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1)
June 7, 2017
After discussions earlier in the week, Malibu Moon’s Grade 1-winning colt Gormley was entered in Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1), the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Gormley, owned by Jerome and Anne Moss, drew post 3 for Saturday’s 1 1/2-mile contest and will be ridden by regular rider Victor Espinosa.
“He deserves the opportunity,” said Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, wife of trainer John Shirreffs and racing manager for the Mosses.
Gormley got a less-than-clean trip the Kentucky Derby, finishing mid-pack, leaving his connections hoping for more for the winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Sham S. (G3) earlier in the year.
Gormley has worked three times since the Derby, increasing in distance each time as he prepares for the longest of the Triple Crown races.
“He was steady all the way, finished great, and galloped out nice,” Espinoza said of Gormley’s seven-furlong work on June 3. “It went the way I wanted it to. I didn’t want him slowing down, so that was good.”
The decision to run Saturday was made by his owner and trainer after consulting with Spendthrift Farm’s owner B. Wayne Hughes. Spendthrift has the breeding rights to Gormley upon his retirement. Gormley is Malibu Moon’s leading active runner of 2017 with $684,000 in earnings this year.
Post time for the Belmont, which will be televised live on NBC-TV, is at 6:37 p.m. ET.