Monday was time for a jog at Belmont Park for California Chrome.
The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, trained by Art Sherman, jogged once around Belmont Park's 1 1/2-mile track with his regular exercise rider Willie Delgado.
Owned by Steven Coburn and Perry Martin, the chestnut colt will gallop at Belmont Park Tuesday morning, four days before his try at becoming the 12th Triple Crown champion in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.
Of the 3-year-olds listed as probable starters in Saturday's 146th Belmont Stakes, Social Inclusion is still listed as just possible for the "Test of the Champion."
"This morning we schooled him and he was acting up a little bit," owner Ron Sanchez said. "He started getting a little bit nervous and sweating, and we have to work on that. He was kind of nervous before he went to the gate the first time, but he was calm. When he went back again, he was acting up. We have to do it again on Wednesday and then we'll see. If the entries were taken today, we would not run (in the Belmont). It wouldn't make any sense."
Trained by Manny Azpurua, Social Inclusion will have a new rider for his next start. Belmont's leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount on the colt replacing Luis Contreras who was aboard for the first four career starts.
"He's a local rider, and he's in a good frame of mind," Sanchez said. "I like the way he rides, and he fits with the horse. Definitely, no matter which race we are going, he has to take the lead. We are focused on the future, and to keep this horse healthy. He's healthy, so we'll see what happens.
"We are going to do what's best for the horse. There's a lot of good races coming up."
Social Inclusion was third in both the Preakness and Wood Memorial.
[SportsNetwork.com]
