Horse Racing News by David Grening

Jim Gaffney Sr., the regular exercise rider of champion Thoroughbreds Secretariat and Riva Ridge, died on Thursday from pneumonia. He was 75.

There is a scene in the popular movie "Hoosiers" when the players on the underdog Hickory High basketball team walk into Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indiana for the first time and look in awe at the humongous setting on which they will play for the first time.

The return of dual Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Manhattan and a near-capacity field of 13 in the Grade 1 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies highlight Saturday's Belmont Stakes undercard at Belmont Park.

Belmont Week dawned Monday with a late addition to bring the field to 12, and several horses who turned in sharp final workouts, one of whom gave no indication that a foot problem he is nursing will compromise his chances for the 142nd Belmont Stakes.

Quality Road hadn't been out in 114 days and had just run six furlongs in 1:08.57 in the heat at Belmont Park. With a quarter-mile left to run in the 117th Metropolitan Handicap, Quality Road had to be as good as advertised in order to win.

Thus far, it has been a pretty good Triple Crown for trainer Dale Romans. It could get a lot better.

Though Tar Heel Mom has run well from both on and off the pace, the majority of her seven victories have come when she's been able to make the early lead.

Quality Road will face seven challengers when he returns to the races for the first time in four months in Monday's Grade 1, $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.

Two of the 10 horses expected to run in the $1 million Belmont Stakes here on June 5 put in half-mile workouts Saturday in New York.

The New York-bred Nehantic Kat has rarely run a bad race when she has stepped into open company.