ELMONT, N.Y. – Art Sherman, the trainer of California Chrome, hadn’t seen the horse in person in two weeks, since the Preakness win at Pimlico, but he certainly liked what he saw after flying to New York on Monday to begin final preparations for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

“He looks like he has more weight than the last time I saw him,” Sherman said Tuesday at Belmont Park. “He looks bigger.”

ELMONT, N.Y. - Social Inclusion came out to gallop over the Belmont Park main track without the special Belmont Stakes saddle towel he’d worn since his arrival here last week, raising speculation that owner Ron Sanchez and trainer Manny Azpurua had already made the decision to bypass the Belmont Stakes for the seven-furlong Woody Stephens earlier on Saturday’s card.

But that is not the case, according to Sanchez, who said that as of Tuesday Social Inclusion is still being considered for the Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Kid Cruz on Tuesday was ruled out of the Belmont Stakes by trainer Linda Rice, who said she was looking “for an easier spot to get him back on track.”

Kid Cruz finished eighth in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in his most recent start after winning his prior two starts, the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park and the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico. He would have been a longshot in the Belmont on Saturday. Entries were to be taken Wednesday.

“His last effort was a non-effort,” Rice said outside her Belmont Park barn Tuesday. “He didn’t perform at Pimlico.”

Seek Again came off a five-month layoff and nearly upset two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, falling a head short to that rival in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill on Kentucky Derby Day.

Bill Mott believes a similar effort will make Seek Again more than formidable in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan Stakes, which will not include Wise Dan.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Bob Baffert got off the Triple Crown trail at the last stop and won’t be attending the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, when California Chrome tries to become Thoroughbred racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner.

But the Hall of Fame trainer will make his presence felt on the prestigious Belmont Stakes card with runners in three of the nine undercard stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings isn’t the only sporting event that will pit the best of the East against the best of the West on Saturday. The other will be the much-anticipated rematch between the pride of California, Beholder, and her New York-based rivals, Close Hatches and Princess of Sylmar, in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

ELMONT, N.Y. – For a horse who already has made 12 starts, has been in steady racing and training for more than a year, has won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, and will be racing at his fourth track in four states in his last four starts Saturday, California Chrome looks like he’s held up remarkably well as he prepares for a Triple Crown bid in the Belmont Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Having captured yet another stakes victory with her talented female sprinter La Verdad last weekend, trainer Linda Rice will now concentrate on winning a graded stakes – or perhaps two – with her top two male sprinters this weekend at Belmont Park.

Rice entered both Palace and Marriedtothemusic in Friday’s Grade 2, $250,000 True North Stakes but is likely to run just one in the six-furlong dirt race. Rice said it is quite likely that on Wednesday she will enter Marriedtothemusic back in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational on turf.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable had her second breeze since her 4 1/2-length romp in the May 2 filly classic when going five furlongs in 1:02 early Monday over a fast track at Churchill Downs.

Working outside of stablemate Betweenhereandcool while staying on even terms throughout, Untapable went in splits of 12.40 seconds, 24.60, 37, and 49.60, with a six-furlong gallop-out time of 1:15.80, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Excaper, with Justin Stein aboard, and Something Extra, with Eurico Rosa Da Silva up, battled all the way around the turf course in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,800 Connaught Cup, and it was Excaper who prevailed in the stretch, crossing the line just 0.15 seconds off the course record.

Excaper is 2 for 2 this season, having defeated graded stakes winner Winning Cause in an allowance race at Keeneland in April to begin his 2014 campaign. After that effort, trainer Ian Black was confident coming into the Connaught Cup.