Preakness winner Rombauer arrives at Belmont Park

John and Diane Fradkin’s homebred colt Rombauer, a decisive winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, arrived at Belmont Park on Monday to prepare for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets slated for June 5.

The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes is the centerpiece of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that runs from June 3 through Saturday, June 5. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer garnered a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his rallying 3 1/2-length score in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, second jewel of the Triple Crown.

The Twirling Candy bay arrived at Belmont at around 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning and will be stabled with trainer Jonathan Thomas.

Accompanying the Preakness champ on the van ride from Maryland was groom Leonel Orantes Aguilar, who reported that the horse shipped to New York “very well.”

McCarthy returned to southern California, where he is primarily based at Santa Anita, but gave positive reports on how the horse emerged from his breakthrough performance.