by Frank Angst

Nobutaka Tada would like to see some racing history in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday.

But unlike many fans, the racing history Tada is pulling for does not involve Big Brown’s attempt to become the 12th United States Triple Crown winner. Tada is racing manager for Japanese owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto, who will send out Casino Drive in Saturday’s 1 ½-mile race.

Casino Drive is a half brother to 2006 Belmont winner Jazil and a three-quarter brother to last year’s Belmont winner, Rags to Riches. Better Than Honour is only the second mare to produce United States classic winners in back-to-back years. No broodmare has ever produced three American classic winners.

“This would be news all over the world,” Tada said. “There have been 11 Triple Crown winners but there has never been a mare to do this.”

Yamamoto purchased Casino Drive at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale for $950,000, less than four months after Jazil’s Belmont victory. The connections were thrilled when Rags to Riches became the first filly since 1905 to win the Belmont.

“That is when we started thinking about the Belmont,” Tada said.

A chestnut colt with a muscular front and large feet, Casino Drive won his maiden debut in Japan by 11 ½ lengths, defeating 12 rivals on February 23. Because of an equine influenza breakout in Japan, a planned second start there was nixed and the Mineshaft colt was quarantined.

Disease free, Casino Drive was shipped to the United States. In his North American debut, he split horses and cruised to a 5 ¼-length victory in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) on May 10.

On Monday, Casino Drive walked around the Belmont Park main track and then walked around the track’s backstretch, getting more than an hour of light exercise.

While it is not as prominent as that of sibling Rags to Riches, he does have a white blaze. He toured the grounds with two other horses, including stablemate Spark Candle.

Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa is expected to arrive at Belmont on Tuesday and Casino Drive is expected to “breeze,” on Wednesday. Tada used the word “breeze” but noted that the horse will not work fast by U.S. standards.

Edgar Prado will have the mount in the Belmont. Prado has twice spoiled Triple Crown runs, winning the race aboard Sarava in 2002 and Birdstone in 2004.

Frank Angst is a Thoroughbred Times senior writer