mud is fine, the issue is if hoof crack and bruise that delayed his start until February and then that he had to run the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby on.
He was fortunate to have it properly repaired before the Preakness. Belmont may be his last race, or they may give him an opportunity to really show that he's bounced back and wants to run in the Classic.
Think about Ax Man and co for the Travers from BB.
He has not been thriving. Only good thing you can say is that he's so talented that he can beat these guys at 80%, and he's so tough that he hasn't quit.
His preakness was like trying to win a handicapping contest with the worst migraine of your life, or a quarterback trying to win a game with a mild separated shoulder.
Look out for his pre-Belmont works.
Here is Pharoah's pre-Belmont work. Date was Mon June 1st 2015 = so you are targeting maybe Monday June 4th 2018 for the same general type of pattern
starts at about 4:30 on the video and put in a solid breeze.
If you see this from Justify, expect that his form has improved from Post-Derby/Preakness to Pre-Belmont. If you don't see any works, then there is more of a question as to whether or not he is thriving again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohHlkb6G7f4
