Belmont Stakes Possible Buckle Down Ben Works

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Michael Tabor's Buckle Down Ben, considered a possible entrant for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes (gr. I), breezed four furlongs on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained son of Devil His Due--Flying Hill, by Flying Paster, completed the half-mile in :47 4/5.

Buckle Down Ben last raced at Turfway Park in March, finishing sixth in the Turfway Spiral Stakes (gr. II). He also finished fifth in the Fountain of Youth (gr. II) and second – beaten by a head – in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III). As a juvenile, he won the 1 1/8-mile Laurel Futurity (gr. III) and finished third in the Remsen Stakes (gr. II), also at nine furlongs.

A Lukas-trained horse has won the Belmont on five occasions, most recently Commendable in last year's renewal. His other Belmont winners were Tabasco Cat, Thunder Gulch and Editor's Note, who won the three renewals between 1994 and '96.

Also under consideration for the final leg of the Triple Crown are Point Given, Monarchos, A P Valentine, Invisible Ink, trouble-prone Dollar Bill, Thunder Blitz, Balto Star, and Team Valor's Euro-import Dr Greenfield.

Scorpion, another Lukas-trained 3-year-old, also worked on a fast track at Churchill Sunday, earning a bullet for his :59 2/5 five-furlong breeze.

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