BELMONT NOTES

A pair of longshots for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes turned in their final workouts yesterday morning. At Belmont, Watchmon breezed five furlongs in 1:00 for trainer Pat Reynolds, while at Churchill Downs, D. Wayne Lukas blew out A.P. Arrow three furlongs in :35.1.

“I just wanted to sharpen him a bit,” Lukas said of the A.P. Indy colt who broke his maiden last time out.

“He hasn’t had a lot of racing, so my theory has always been that if they haven’t had the seasoning, then sometimes getting them a little sharper works for me.”

Jerry Bailey, who won the Belmont on Hansel and Empire Maker, has the mount.

“Getting Jerry going a mile and a half at Belmont Park, I don’t know that I could do any better there,” Lukas said.

Watchmon, who like A.P. Arrow has just a maiden win to his credit, had jockey Javier Castellano aboard for his drill.

“[Castellano] had horse every step of the way,” Reynolds said. “He’s not necessarily always a good work horse. He’s sporadic in the morning. After watching him work, I know we got him right on the money.”

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Maybe NYRA will rethink the proposal to pitch a tent for use as the detention barn during this summer’s Saratoga meet after a severe thunderstorm struck the Old Spa on Monday, causing a tree to crash down on a barn housing Todd Pletcher’s horses.

“This thunder boomer swept through town and caused a lot of trouble,” said facilities manager George Hathaway. “We were lucky that no one or no horse got hurt.”