(Edited Belmont Park report)

ELMONT, N.Y. – Belmont hopeful Stately Victor arrived at Belmont Park a few hours behind schedule Thursday, but no worse for the trip.

“Everything went smoothly, but the plane was a little late,” trainer Mike Maker said at his Belmont barn Friday morning. “I think they had some mechanical issues. We got here at about 7:45 last night.”

Maker said that the son of Ghostzapper, owned by Thomas and Jack Conway, galloped an easy 1 ¼-miles Thursday morning before preparing to ship.

“He’ll gallop Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. and breeze Monday or Tuesday after the break,” Maker said. “Usually I prefer just to ship right on top of a race, but I thought that coming here, I would prefer to have a work over this track. Another positive on our side is that Alan Garcia (jockey) has won a Belmont, but more importantly, he fits the horse well.”

Garcia piloted Stately Victor to his improbable 40-1 win in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 10, as well as an eighth-place finish in the May 1 Kentucky Derby. In 2008, he rode longshot Da’ Tara to victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes.

Also stabled in Maker’s barn is Donald R. Dizney’s expected Belmont starter First Dude, who walked the shed row after training Friday, pausing briefly before Stately Victor’s stall during one of his circuits.

“Look, he’s scared of Stately Victor,” Maker joked. “Everything is fine. Our horse is happy and healthy, so here we are.” 

Arriving Thursday night on the same flight as Stately Victor was Stay Put, who also appears to be acclimating to his new surroundings, trainer Steve Margolis said by phone from Kentucky Friday morning.

“He shipped well and he’s getting settled,” said Margolis, who trains Stay Put for Richard, Bertram, and Elaine Klein. “He came up with my longtime assistant Loren Diego, who rides him in the mornings. He’ll gallop tomorrow after the break, then work a half-mile and gallop out five-eighths first thing after the break on Sunday.”

Stay Put enters the Belmont off an allowance victory on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. All three of the Broken Vow colt’s wins have come around two turns.

Margolis said he would join the horse on Tuesday morning, arriving in time for training hours.