Scrappy Not

- It’s disappointing news that Scrappy T will not run in the Belmont. He was a legitimate contender off his Preakness effort and I think he would have run well. His connections said it isn't the right spot for him at this time.

"He's going to give it his best if you put him in the water swimming," said Dowell on Thursday evening after Scrappy's work. "But you have to think about the management of his racing career when he is 5, 6 or 7." [Bloodhorse]

He’s run ten times in the last eight months, which is a pretty busy schedule these days. You can’t criticize them for looking out for the horse’s welfare. There is some point of course where you’d like to see some “sporting nature” kick in as long as there are no physical issues that could endanger the animal, but I don’t think that applies in this case. They're going to try him on the turf at Colonial Downs.

Steve Crist is bummed about another Belmont non-participant:

The most disappointing development regarding the race is Sheik Mohammed's decision not to run Oratory, who might well have been the second choice in the betting off his stakes-record Peter Pan victory, which earned a lofty Beyer Speed Figure of 114. Granted, he got an easy opening half-mile that left him with a full tank late, but the Belmont often unfolds the same way and this is hardly a speed-packed lineup. Given the Sheik's obsession with winning a Triple Crown race, and his penchant for running horses of questionable quality and foundation in them, the decision to withhold a superior colt coming off an outstanding performance in a traditional Belmont prep is all the more mysterious. [Daily Racing Form, sub. only]