Uptowncharlybrown might prove to be the best horse Alan Seewald ever trained. Sadly, Seewald didn't live long enough to find out.
He died unexpectedly April 12, and the colt was transferred to Kiaran McLaughlin's barn. Seewald, 62 at the time of his death, will be in the thoughts of everyone connected with Uptowncharlybrown when he runs today in the Belmont Stakes.
Uptowncharlybrown is 10-1 on the morning line for the race Seewald was aiming for. He believed the long-striding colt would love the 1 1/2 miles in the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
"He covers a lot of ground," McLaughlin said. "They thought he would get the mile and a half. We don't know that until (this) afternoon."
This will be the colt's first race for McLaughlin after earning two wins in five starts. Uptowncharlybrown was a fast-finishing third in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in his latest outing April 17. McLaughlin hasn't had time for a major overhaul.
"You know, every trainer does things a little different. So, yes, there's been some changes, but they did a great job with the horse," McLaughlin said. "We have a different team of people looking after him now, different feed program and different things that we have done, different blacksmiths. Overall, we just hope that he wants the mile and a half."
Uptowncharlybrown has 59 owners, a partnership group assembled by Robert Hutt as the Fantasy Lane Stable. Many of them, especially Hutt, were close to Seewald.
» Some of the runners in the Belmont have colorful names. Drosselmeyer is named for a character in Tchaikovsky's famous ballet, "The Nutcracker." The connection comes through the dam's name, Golden Ballet. First Dude has a political hook: His dam is Run Sarah Run, so he carries the nickname of Todd Palin, the husband of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Stately Victor honors a close friend of co-owner Tom Conway's son, Victor Perrone, who was killed in a car accident. Interactif was bred and named by brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, senior members of the French family that owns Chanel, the perfume and fashion company. Dave in Dixie is named for the son-in-law of owners Dawn and Ike Thrash from Hattiesburg, Miss.
» Alcomo beat Gabriel's Hill by a nose in the $170,000 Brooklyn Handicap on Friday at Belmont Park.
