Racing: Star colt in lockdown for title tilt

"No complaints, no hurdles," trainer Doug O'Neill said. "He's being good." Photo / Matt Slocum

Just two Belmont Stakes winners have come out of the No11 post since 1905.

I'll Have Another went into lockdown, moving into a secured barn shortly after the colt was made the early 4-5 favourite to win the Belmont Stakes tomorrow in his quest to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first in 34 years.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner was the last of the 12 Belmont horses to arrive at the detention barn, showing up four minutes past the noon check-in deadline.

The chestnut colt calmly walked a few hundred metres down a dirt path from where he had been stabled since arriving on May 20 and stepped into the barn with a horde of reporters tracking his every move.

"No complaints, no hurdles," trainer Doug O'Neill said. "He's being good."

Whether he's good enough to end the 34-year drought of Triple Crown winners will be decided tomorrow when I'll Have Another breaks from the No11 post under Mario Gutierrez. He'll have to contend with 11 rivals.

"We're going to see how the pace sets up," O'Neill said. "If they're crawling, hopefully we'll be leading the crawl and if they're flying, hopefully we'll be sitting in behind the horses flying."

Just two Belmont winners have come out of the No11 post since 1905. The last was Sarava, a 70-1 shot who ended War Emblem's Triple Crown bid in 2002. I'll Have Another bucked history in the Derby as the first horse to win from the 19th post.

Dullahan was the 5-1 second choice and drew post No5. The colt finished third in the Kentucky Derby and sat out the Preakness.

"Five is as good as any," trainer Dale Romans said. "It doesn't matter going a mile and a half with my horse. I didn't want to be down on the rail or way outside."

Union Rags was the third betting choice at 6-1 and will break from post No3 under new jockey John Velazquez. The colt got bumped at the start by Dullahan in the Derby and rallied from 17th to finish seventh. He also skipped the Preakness to prepare for the 2.4km Belmont.

Paynter is the fourth betting choice at 8-1 and drew the No9 post for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Trainer Danny O'Brien is confident Victorian filly Shopaholic's reputation of upstaging big names of the turf can continue in the A$1 million group one Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm today.

Shopaholic goes into the 1400m feature as the only horse this year to lower the colours of group one VRC Oaks-winning filly Mosheen when she won the group three The Vanity at Flemington in February.

O'Brien booked international rider Jeff Lloyd to partner Shopaholic once last-start rider Dwayne Dunn knew he would be unable to make the filly's 51.5kg in the Stradbroke.

Shopaholic is a $26 chance. Sea Siren is the $4.40 favourite and owner Keith Biggs is leaning towards starting her but has warned the daughter of Fastnet Rock will be scratched if the track is too wet.

Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller and Gai Waterhouse are eyeing another feature today in the race named after the trainer's famous father.

Rawiller will partner the Waterhouse-trained Kabayan in the group one TJ Smith (1600m) at Eagle Farm, with the jockey buoyed by a memorable season for the stable and also the step up in distance for Kabayan. Sizzling is the dominant TJ Smith favourite.

- AP, AAP