Belmont may set up nicely for Aptitude By Ed McNamara Special to ESPN.com It's been almost 30 years since he headed west, but time and Southern California sunshine haven't dulled his New York edge. Brooklyn-born Bobby Frankel pulls no punches and does things his way, and that's how he got to the Hall of Fame. Frankel, 58, went from horseplayer and hotwalker into training, where he became "King of the Claimers" early in his career. He had his first winner in 1966 at Aqueduct, and he's been a major force since coming to California in 1972. He's had more than 2,000 winners, including four Eclipse champions, and has been among North America's top 20 money-earners since 1970. He's one of the world's best in six-figure turf stakes, winning dozens of them, including the 1988 Japan Cup. Now he's trying to do something he's never done: win a 3-year-old classic. Don't be surprised if he pulls it off with his first Belmont Stakes runner. Frankel sent out the lightly raced Aptitude to finish second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Kentucky Derby on May 6, then skipped the Preakness Stakes on May 20 to await the 1½-mile Belmont on June 10 on Long Island. "All along I thought my best chance of winning a Triple Crown race was in the Belmont," Frankel said Thursday. "This is the race I pointed for. (Aptitude) never seems to get tired in his races. At the end, he's never hanging. He's always trying." Although he is a son of 1992 Belmont winner A.P. Indy, Aptitude hardly fits the profile of a Belmont champion. He's won only once in six career starts, and sketchy records don't indicate the last time a horse went directly from the Derby to the Belmont and won. It hasn't happened for at least 35 years. So what? Frankel prefers to follow his instincts, not historical trends. "I think having five weeks off is a big edge," Frankel said. "My horse needed the break after running in the Derby. I didn't want to compromise his chances in the Belmont by running in the Preakness. "They're young 3-year-olds, and you don't want to jeopardize their careers by running them every two or three weeks. If you win the Derby, then you go to the Preakness. But why bury a horse to win two of the three Triple Crown races?" Aptitude's running style also is atypical of a Belmont winner. He comes from off the pace, whereas the race usually favors horses with tactical speed. Frankel isn't concerned. "If the pace is slow, he could lay up close," he said. "He's not a plodder. He's got a very quick turn of foot, and I see a little pace in the race with Globalize and Chief Seattle." The Belmont took a major hit May 27 when owner Frank Stronach decided to withhold Preakness winner Red Bullet. If trainer Neil Drysdale concludes that Fusaichi Pegasus isn't up to a mile-and-a-half race, the Triple Crown finale will have little significance. That doesn't bother Frankel, either. Other trainers would say they hope a top opponent is in there, whether they're sincere or not. Not Brooklyn Bobby. "I hope he doesn't run," Frankel said. "I think Fusaichi Pegasus is a very good horse. He might have been compromised by the (muddy) track in the Preakness, so I give him a very good excuse. "I'm not proud about who I beat. If Fusaichi Pegasus isn't in the race and I win, it suits me fine."

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