ELMONT, N.Y. – As a two-time winner of the Belmont Stakes, Edgar Prado has a pretty good idea of what it takes to win the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

“Patience,” Prado said. “Lots of patience. It’s a long way to go. It’s the horse, too. There are only a few horses that can go that distance and if you use them early you fade in the backside or fade at the top of the stretch. You have to wait a little longer than you normally do in the regular races. I got lucky twice; hopefully we can do it again.”

Look At the Time could be sitting on a significant 4-year-old season after taking the $50,000 John Franks Memorial at Louisiana Downs last Saturday in his first start in eight months. Look At the Time rallied for a neck win over 1-5 favorite String King, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 94 he earned was his best number in a budding career that includes three other stakes wins achieved last year at 3.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Back when he was riding high, ruling the racing landscape with a far-flung operation that regularly knocked off major races, took down Eclipse Awards, and courted controversy by taking shots in races where his horses looked overmatched, there was an undercurrent of defensiveness to trainer D. Wayne Lukas, at times seething bitterness that seeped out from the façade of crisp suits, immaculate shed rows, and a million-dollar smile.

ELMONT, N.Y. – After experiencing a giant failure in the Belmont Stakes five years ago, owner Andy Cohen is hoping for a Giant Finish to this year’s Triple Crown.

In 2008, Cohen was a minority owner of Big Brown, who after decisive victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, was the 1-5 favorite to win the Belmont and become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Always in a Tiz, who likely would have been the longest shot in the field, will skip Saturday’s $1 million Belmont Stakes and instead run in the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes on the day’s undercard, said Anthony Bonomo Jr., racing manager for his parents’ stables.

Always in a Tiz, a son of Tiznow, won his debut at Saratoga last summer but has lost five consecutive races since, most recently finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 6.

Baze, the runaway leader in the Golden Gate jockey race, is now only 39 wins away from the 12,000 mark after picking up eight wins in three days last weekend.

Baze has recorded 157 victories through 93 days (1.69 wins per day) at the Golden Gate Fields meeting and is on pace to reach the 12,000 milestone at the Sacramento fair meeting, which starts July 12. Eight days remain at the Golden Gate meeting, which ends June 16. The fair season begins at Pleasanton with 12 days of racing that start June 20 and then eight at Sacramento.

Unusual Way may have been making her turf debut in last weekend’s Campanile, but no one was surprised that she went off the 4-5 favorite. And she made the price look generous with a dominating 2 1/4-length victory in the one-mile race for 3-year-old California-bred fillies.

“I really liked the way she relaxed,” said trainer Jeff Bonde after the filly’s third stakes victory and fourth win in 10 starts to go with three seconds and a third.

Next on Unusual Way’s agenda is the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 17 at 1 1/8 miles.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The pattern is remarkably similar.

Last spring, the lightly raced My Gi Gi finished second in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park in early May and followed with a career-defining win in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Handicap for 3-year-old fillies over 1 1/8 miles on turf in early June.

Fast forward to this year, and trainer Peter Eurton is using the same races with Kyriaki, who has made four starts. Owned by Dominic Savides, Kyriaki was third in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes on May 11, a prep for Saturday’s $150,000 Honeymoon Handicap.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Joel Rosario, North America’s top jockey in earnings this year, will return to Churchill Downs for the first time since his Kentucky Derby victory to ride in all four graded stakes on the June 15 Stephen Foster Handicap program.

Rosario, who will ride Golden Ticket in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, also has committed to Funny Proposition in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap, Sunbean in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes, and Kitten’s Dumplings in the Grade 3 Regret Stakes, according to his agent, Ron Anderson.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It is a reasonable question referring to last-start maiden winners – whom did they beat?

It turns out Biorhythm beat a good field last month at Keeneland – runner-up Distortion returned to win a special-weight at Belmont; third-place Sky Girl returned to win twice at Churchill Downs, including an allowance. Three others finished in the money next out.