By the Associated Press

NEW YORK - Barclay Tagg won't rest until he makes one final inspection tour before he saddles Funny Cide for Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

Adhering to a nightly ritual, the trainer will check on every horse in his stable, including Funny Cide. No matter how late, Tagg never turns in for the night without first stopping at the barn.

Tagg and Robin Smullen, his girlfriend and assistant trainer, will spend the evening before the biggest day of their lives having dinner with family members in town for the race.

"We want to try and call it an early night," said Smullen. "Of course, he will come back to check on the horses. He does that every single night, regardless of what night, what race or what horse it is."

Tagg peeks in on all his horses.

"He'll walk down and glance in the stalls," said Smullen. "He won't even turn the lights on. The shedrow lights will be on and he'll glance in to make sure nobody's colicky or nobody's wedged in a stall. He doesn't take them out and he doesn't disturb them."

With the whirl of social events surrounding the final jewel of the Triple Crown, those inspections have been coming later and later.

"We never go out," Smullen said. "This week we've been out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. We go to bed at 8:30. Three nights in a row it's been 11 o'clock.

"It's kind of fun, but we're ready for it to be over."

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A PIECE OF HISTORY: A racing fan made a generous and unexpected offer to the Funny Cide team: the saddle strap worn by Secretariat when he won the Triple Crown 30 years ago.

The historic overgirth, the elasticized strap that goes completely around a horse and over the saddle to keep it from slipping, is autographed by Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, trainer Lucien Laurin and jockey Ron Turcotte.

"He said I just want you to have it to use," Smullen said. "He lent it to us. He said I want you to have it for the race ."

Tagg and Smullen decided not to use it, but they will keep it close by.

"It will be in the bag with us when we walk over," Smullen said.

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RUNNING FRESH: Handicappers often look for the fresh horse in the Belmont, preferring a rested runner to one that has been through the Triple Crown grind.

History does not support that theory. Commendable (2000) is the only horse to run in the Kentucky Derby and win the Belmont without benefit of another race in the five-week interval.

Empire Maker will try to replicate Commendable's feat Saturday afternoon.

Trainer Bobby Frankel opted to condition the Derby runner-up for the Belmont solely on workouts. The move is consistent with Frankel's preference to give horses lots of time between races.

"This is much more my style as far as my way of training," said Frankel. "I'm very comfortable with this."

Frankel believes there is no set formula for winning the Belmont, or any other race.

"We don't know what makes them win or lose." said Frankel. "If they were meant to win, they win. If you talk to trainers, you know they're not rocket scientists. Don't give them more credit than they deserve."

Empire Maker is the 6-5 second choice on the morning line behind Funny Cide.

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FINISH LINES: With rain in the forecast for Saturday, the Belmont could be contested on an "off" track for the first time since 1993, when the track was rated "good" for Colonial Affair's victory. Of the 134 previous Belmonts, 35 were run on "off" tracks ... Jose Santos would become the fourth jockey born outside the United States to win the Triple Crown. The native of Concepcion, Chile would join Johnny Longden (England, Count Fleet, 1943); Ron Turcotte (Canada, Secretariat, 1973); and Jean Cruguet (France, Seattle Slew, 1977) in that group ... The Derby has the rose; the Preakness the Black-Eyed Susan. The white carnation is the official flower of the Belmont. The winner will wear a blanket of 300 to 400 carnations glued to a green spread.