Zito tries to give Steinbrenner a winner

~ But Hemingway's Key is a 15-1 longshot in the early odds

NEW YORK -- Nick Zito did his best to put a positive spin on Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes.

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness winner Bernardini are not running, meaning no Triple Crown try, no rematch, no rivalry, no buzz.

But there was Zito, plugging away for the biggest race of the year in New York -- the longest and most grueling of the Triple Crown races.

"It's a competitive field, an interesting field," the Hall of Fame trainer said Wednesday. "The favorite ran second in the Kentucky Derby, the second favorite won the Peter Pan and you have horses running around here and there and they are not running bad."

The last time the Derby and Preakness winners missed the Belmont was 2000, when Commendable won. Zito will try to win his second Belmont with Hemingway's Key, a 15-1 longshot in a 12-horse field.

Derby runner-up Bluegrass Cat is the morning-line favorite at 3-1.

Asked if the colt's owner, Yankees boss George Steinbrenner, might not feel great about winning a race missing the top 3-year-olds, Zito shrugged and smiled.

"I don't think the owner will be sad if we won," he said. "He deserves it, too. George puts up a lot of money. He's a very good sport when it comes to racing."

Zito always seems to have an impact on the Belmont. His horses have finished second six times, and his breakthrough win came with Birdstone, who spoiled Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid in 2004.

Hemingway's Key, meanwhile, is 0-for-5 this year after winning both starts as a 2-year-old.

"We always thought he was a distance horse, and this is the race we actually picked out for him," Zito said. "Hopefully, this will be his best race, so we're looking forward to a good race Saturday."

So is Todd Pletcher, the nation's top trainer looking for his first win in a Triple Crown race. Not only does he train Bluegrass Cat, but he'll also saddle 4-1 second choice Sunriver, winner of the Peter Pan at Belmont Park on May 20.