Article says Kent Desormeaux claims the horse and rider have no chance because they have no experience at Belmont. I guess I can understand the pressure thing re the rider but why would the Horse suffer from never raced at any certain location?
Some horses prefer one racing surface over another. After a race, you’ll hear jockeys say that the horse didn’t like the “feel” of the track. Sometimes this is just an excuse, but some horses do run better on grass or in mud than others. Most trainers will ship their horses to the next track ahead of time to give the animal a ‘feel’ for the surface. Tracks tend to be deeper near the rail which slows a horse down. There are also better “racing lanes” on a track, where water drains away more quickly, leaving a faster surface.