Accompanied by assistant
trainer Brendan Walsh, Santiva left Kentucky on a flight headed for New
York and was expected to arrive late Tuesday afternoon at Belmont Park.
Trained by Eddie
Kenneally for owner Tom Walters, Santiva couldn’t overcome traffic trouble and
finished ninth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 16, but rebounded with a
strong fifth-place effort in the Kentucky Derby three weeks later.
“We were pleased with
his race in the Derby,” Walters said. “Hopefully, he got a lot out of that
race, and we’ll move forward in the Belmont.”
Walters said Santiva, a
bay son of Giant’s Causeway, was never under serious consideration for the
Preakness, opting instead to wait for the last and longest leg of the Triple
Crown.
“Our game plan was
always to run in either the Derby or the Preakness, never both, and then the
Belmont,” Walters said. “We absolutely think the five weeks we had between the
Derby and the Belmont is good spacing. Hopefully, he got a lot out of the Derby
from a conditioning standpoint. He’s had some really nice works since then, so
we’re hoping he’ll run a good race on Saturday.”
Walters will arrive in
New York on Thursday, and said Kenneally was expected on Friday.