Thursday, June 8, 2006

Belmont Field Is Set; No One Outside
Of Horseracing Fans Cares

The Belmont field is set, with a field of 12 vying for the final leg of the Triple Crown. While all the casual fans will take a pass on the Belmont becuase the most compelling story of the season is in an animal hospital in Pennsylvania and the Preakness winner is resting, for the horse racing enthusiast this race still offers a lot of intrigue. Steve Haskin of The Bloodhorse says it better than I could in this excellent preview:

Will High Finance burst on the scene as a potential superstar the way Bernardini did in the Preakness (gr. I)? Will Bluegrass Cat re-establish himself as one of the divisional leaders following a classy 2-year-old campaign? Will Sunriver show that he is an improving, classy colt who is now ready to battle for 3-year-old supremacy? Is Steppenwolfer's spectacular work last week an indication that the colt is through playing bridesmaid and is now a major force to reckon with? Can Bob and John land a Wood Memorial (gr. I) – Belmont double and crown himself king of New York? Can little Jazil, with his exciting running style, become a fan favorite and prove a stone closer can win the Belmont?

Anyhow here is the field. You can look at the DRF Past Performances here.
Analysis and picks this evening or tomorrow.

Post Position. Horse. Trainer. Jockey. Morn. Line Odds.
1. Platinum Couple. Joseph Lostritto. Jose Espinoza. 30-1.
2. Sunriver. Todd Pletcher. Rafael Bejarano. 4-1.
3. Hemingway's Key. Nick Zito. Jeremy Rose. 15-1.
4. Bob and John. Bob Baffert. Garrett Gomez. 5-1.
5. High Finance. Richard Violette, Jr. Eibar Coa. 12-1.
6. Oh So Awesome. James Jerkins. Mike Smith. 20-1.
7. Deputy Glitters. Tom Albertrani. Edgar Prado. 15-1.
8. Jazil. Kiaran McLaughlin. Fernando Jara. 10-1.
9. Bluegrass Cat. Todd Pletcher. John Velasquez. 3-1.
10. Double Galore. Myung Kwon Cho. Mike Luzzi. 30-1.
11. Steppenwolfer. Daniel Peitz. Robby Albarado. 9-2.
12. Sacred Light. David Hofmans. Victor Espinoza. 15-1.

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