The 149th running of the Belmont stakes might sound a little dry with the noticeable absences of the Kentucky Derby winner, Always Dreaming; Preakness Stakes winner, Cloud Computing; and last seasons 2 year old champion, Classic Empire. I assure you however that there is still a ton of talent in this field and it could very well end up being the most exciting leg of The Triple Crown this year. I was looking forward to dumping all over Classic Empire for being the opening favorite of a 1 ½ mile race when he couldn’t even hold on to win at 1 3/16th but then he robbed me of that by dropping out. Which is good that he doesn’t have to face the embarrassment of peaking as a two year old. I’m sure he will do very well next season as a 6 furlong sprinter. Any how,
- Twisted Tom – Has two nice wins over Bodemeister bred O Dionysus in stakes competition at Laurel this year. The second being in the Federico Tesio Stakes on a very sloppy track and at a slow pace. Proved he can win at 1 1/16th miles but from what I saw I don’t think he has the stamina to go the 1 ½ of the Belmont and come out on top. May use in exotics if it’s a sloppy track. 20/1
- Tapwrit – Got off to a hot start in the beginning of the season running at 1 1/16th miles. Hasn’t been able to hit the board since stretching out the distance in his last two outings. Can’t use him to win but he could get there in longer exotics. 6/1
- Gormley – I described him as inconsistent in my Derby write-up and his performance in that race did nothing to prove me wrong. Has some solid wins over lesser opponents but again I don’t see him being in this class of horse. 8/1 opening line and I can’t figure out why. Exotics bets maybe if you’re going deep.
- J Boys Echo – Had some nice early success in G3 competition. Hasn’t been able to get it done against G2 and G1 horses though. Don’t look for that to change here. I’m throwing him out 15/1
- Hollywood Handsome – He’s a long shot that you’ve never heard of. Has 4th and 5th place finishes against G2 and G3 competition and that’s why you’ve never heard of him. Was tracking towards the G3 Ohio Derby on 6/24 which he should have just stuck with. Toss him 30/1
- Lookin At Lee – He has put together three very nice rides in his last three races. I like him as my second favorite. I’ll be using him in almost every bet. 5/1
- Irish War Cry – He’s your opening line favorite, so the experts love him. He’s my third favorite, but I’m far from an expert. I’ll have him winning on a few cover tickets but again he’s my third favorite. 7/2
- Senior Investment – Very nice closer but he needs a good pace setter to really give him his ride. If the pace is flying fast he could run into trouble. Still he’s my favorite in this race. Looked to every bit of horse plus some to win at the shorter distances. 12/1 and I’m hoping he can stay right around there come post time
- Meantime – Set a very nice pace in the G3 Peter Pan which he finished second. Not sure he has the stamina to go 1 ½ mile. Just looking for him to set another nice pace for the 8 horse here. Could get there for long exotics 15/1
- Multiplier – Still not a lot of experience for this guy. Had a decent trip in the Preakness and still could only finish 6th. Ran into a small pack at the top of the stretch and lost a few steps weaving through it. With the added distance, could actually make some noise. He rounds out my super bets. 15/1
- Epicharis – Did you know I hate foreign horses? Trump can’t build that wall fast enough and it better include keeping foreign race horses out of ‘Merica too. This guy is hard to read. It looked like he gave all he’s got in the UAE Derby and it was only good enough for second. No matter what look for this guy to get out front fast and be in the mix for pace setter. I can’t throw him out completely but I’m using him on top. 4/1
- Patch – The one eyed sentimental favorite had a nice run in the Louisiana Derby before not factoring at all in the Kentucky Derby. He’s a stalker that should be there towards the finish but not really a favorite of mine. He’ll be getting some “oh I love the underdog with one eye” money from the suckers so watch for his odds to be bet down unearned. Might use him in deep exotics but doubt it. 12/1
Okay, well there’s my thoughts. Take them for what you will. My $2 straight for fun super bet is 8/6/7/10.