The Belmont Stakes, set for June 11th, has not yet been fully fleshed out. The betting public will not get a full picture of the race itself until a few days prior to the race.
However, there are some horses whose connections have noted that they are probable or possible for the Test of the Champion, which often has a much more compact field than the Kentucky Derby or even the Preakness.
Let’s take a look at some of the hottest contenders that match the previous results of Belmont Stakes according to the experts at TwinSpires.
1. Creative Minister
Trainer: Kenneth McPeek
Jockey: Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr
Breeding: Creative Cause x Tamboz (Tapit)
Creative Minister pulled perhaps the biggest surprise of the Preakness, finishing third in his first-ever stakes attempt. At present, he and Skippylongstocking are the only Preakness starters considering the Belmont Stakes.
Prior to the Preakness, he had won a maiden and an allowance race, and had finished second in his debut. His sire, Creative Cause, has not set the world on fire, but he has sired multiple graded stakes winners in My Boy Jack and Pavel. Having Tapit and Giants Causeway close in his pedigree suggests that the Belmont distance should be feasible, and McPeek is confident that Creative Minister will avail himself well at the Belmont.
2. Mo Donegal
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr
Breeding: Uncle Mo x Callingmissbrown (Pulpit)
Mo Donegal was flattered by Early Voting’s win in the Preakness, having defeated that colt in the Grade I Wood Memorial. He ran a creditable fourth in the Kentucky Derby and is known for having a strong closing kick; his speed figures for the Wood Memorial were among the highest of the entire Derby prep season.
Pletcher elected to bypass the Preakness and focus on the Belmont, a move that in hindsight appears to have been the right decision, as the pace scenario at Pimlico would not have been to Mo Donegal’s liking. Given time between his races, however, Mo Donegal has proven time and again to be at the top tier of his crop, having won graded stakes at ages two and three and only once finishing off the board in six career starts.
3. We the People
Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Breeding: Constitution x Letchworth (Tiznow)
We the People absolutely annihilated the Grade II Peter Pan Stakes, overwhelming the field by over ten lengths. He took the race gate to wire, and Flavien Prat had only to move on him once to keep him to task. The only black mark on the colt’s racing record was in his stakes debut, a seventh-place finish in the Grade I Arkansas Derby, in which he started without the medication Lasix.
We the People is bred on the same lines as Tiz the Law, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2020; however, that was the year that the race was cut back to 1 ⅛ miles and only run around one turn. However, having Tiznow close in the pedigree still indicates stamina, and if the Peter Pan is any indication, We the People is certainly a horse to watch.
4. Nest
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr
Breeding: Curlin x Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy)
Only listed as “possible” for the Belmont Stakes at the time of this writing, Nest is nonetheless an interesting prospect for the race. On the one hand, she is a filly who has never faced colts, and she lost her last race against her own sex in the Kentucky Oaks. On the other hand, she is consistent in quality and very well bred for route races.
Should Todd Pletcher elect to run both Nest and Mo Donegal in the Belmont Stakes, it will be interesting to see which horse Irad Ortiz rides, as he is the most recent rider for both horses. Pletcher does not often choose to run his fillies against males, but he did train the most recent female Belmont Stakes winner, Rags to Riches.
5. Rich Strike
Trainer: Eric Reed
Jockey: Sonny Leon
Breeding: Keen Ice x Gold Strike (Smart Strike)
Finally, we come to the Kentucky Derby winner himself. Rich Strike stunned the racing word with his Derby victory, leaving many to wonder whether lightning could strike twice. Eric Reed, who, like Todd Pletcher, chose to skip the Preakness, thought that the spacing between the races as well as the 1 ½ mile distance of the Belmont Stakes would better suit his colt.
There are still many questions surrounding Rich Strike’s true class and ability to fire in a race with less pace, but the colt has definitely shown he has agility, accepting Sonny Leon’s guidance through the sordid Derby field and weaving his way through horses in the stretch. Another attribute that can surely be observed in Rich Strike is stamina; he raced the classic distance of 1 ¼ miles and still had enough energy left to savage his lead pony.
Ultimately, as the field solidifies, handicappers will be able to make more specific and thorough predictions of the upcoming race, but the past performances and breeding of the aforementioned five horses make them prime participants.
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