July 9 - Going into tomorrow's $600,000 Man o' War Stakes (Gr 1) at Belmont Park in New York, trainer Christophe Clement cannot help but be confident in his talented 5-year-old charge, Gio Ponti, considering his recent form.

Clement has reportedly put a solid three weeks of training into Gio Ponti, a horse that surprised virtually everyone - including himself - when he romped home a close second in June's Manhattan Handicap (Gr 1) with little preparation.

Coming into the 1 1/4-mile Manhattan Handicap on June 5 - which boasted a field including seven Gr 1 winners - Gio Ponti hadn't run in 10 weeks since returning to the States after finishing fourth in the prestigious Dubai World Cup.

But when the race got underway at Belmont Park, Gio looked like a horse at the top of his game as he zigged and zagged to snatch the lead in the deep stretch, only to be beaten in the final stages by his stablemate, Winchester.

So if that's the kind of performance the 5-year-old can pull out of the bag without much preparation, it's not surprising Gio Ponti will start as the overwhelming 1/2 favourite against seven other 3-year-olds and upwards on Saturday.

Said Clement, 'He's been training really well and it's exciting to be around a horse going into Gr 1 training and doing the way he has. It's time to go back and win.' The last race Gio Ponti won was the Arlington Million in August 2009.

In the Man o' War Stakes, Gio Ponti will have his regular rider, Ramon Doming, aboard. And he has a fondness for Belmont Park, with 4 wins and 3 second places out of 7 starts. His biggest threat could be second favourite, Expansion.

Here is the complete field and odds for Saturday's Man o' War Stakes (Gr 1) at Belmont Park in New York:

Interpatation (KY) 20/1
Bearpath (KY) 12/1
Strike a Deal (KY) 10/1
Expansion (KY) 5/1
Mission Approved (NY) 30/1
Grand Couturier (GB) 8/1
Midnite Silver (MD) 30/1
Gio Ponti (KY) 1/2