Report: Ny Traffic expected to skip Belmont Stakes

The 2020 Belmont Stakes take place on Saturday, June 20th, and one of the longer shots is expected to skip the race. Ny Traffic owner John Fanelli said his horse will likely skip the Triple Crown race in order to prepare for the July 18th Haskell Stakes, according to Horse Racing Nation.

The 3-year old colt has six top three finishes in eight races, including two wins. However, Fanelli is most concerned with prepping the horse for the Kentucky Derby. Ny Traffic missed a week of training due to a required quarantine and lost weight during travel from his Gulstream Park home base, according to Horse Racing Nation.

“The Derby is the most important race of the year for any 3-year-old. It’s a once in a lifetime and you’ve got to do it if you can,” Fanelli said. “Our idea is ‘Let’s work backward from the Derby.’”

Churchill Downs moved The Derby to Saturday, September 5th after postponing the early May race because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Normally, the Triple Crown runs the Derby, then the Preakness, then Belmont. This year, Belmont is first on June 20th, the Derby is next, and the Preakness is last on October 3rd.

The entry field is not yet official for Belmont, but it looks like this Tiz The Law, Charlatan, Maxfield, Sole Volante, Max Player, Basin, Dr Post, Gouverneur Morris, Farmington Road, Shivaree, and Modernist.