The last leg of the Triple Crown - the Belmont Stakes - will be run at 5:30pm CDT, at Belmont Park, the Test of Champions.
The track record is held by Secretariat, winning in 2:24 time with no horse even threatening that record since.
The winner will be draped with a blanket of carnations but there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby, with Nehro in second. Shackleford won the Preakness, with Animal Kingdom second by a half a length. The top seven finishers in the Derby will be running in this Belmont Stakes.
There are only two early speed horses in today's race - Shackleford and Prime Cut. Look for them to set the pace. This race typically favors the stalkers - horses who run just off the front speed horses. It does not favor the speedsters nor the come-from-way-behind.
Now for my analysis. My Derby and Preakness win picks have both finished in second place, so you might want to use my win pick as your place bet, lol.
1. Master of Hounds - This horse is bred for distance but is not a dirt runner. He might be a good long shot bet although I wouldn't put money on him. His jockey is 0-5, he's got a bad post position and I think he's over his head here. Closer.
2. Stay Thirsty - Top 10, meaning 8-10 place is the best you can expect from this horse today. He's bred to run all day, but slowly.
3. Ruler on Ice - New shooter. This horse is a plugger, he won't give up but he's too slow for this crowd. He's better as a sprinter. I'd pass, even with his new blinkers on.
4. Santiva - This is the first of the stalkers. Use in your exotic bets as he's got a chance to go 3rd. Has the stamina, is improving but he's so far 1-7.
5. Brilliant Speed - Another stalker but prefers grass. He's never won on dirt. If this was a grass race he'd be my pick.
6. Nehro - My pick in the Derby. Will be Top 3. He got passed by Animal Kingdom in the Derby so I'd put him second on any exotic bets. Only excuse in the Derby was his jockey, who in my mind lost that race.
7. Monzon - Why? A new shooter who has zero chance.
8. Prime Cut - One of the speed horses. Will only figure if Shackleford goes to sleep. This is a nice horse for a Grade 2 race, not here. Only good thing he's got going here is Edgar Prado - 2x Belmont winner.
9. Animal Kingdom - The Derby winner and my pick to win today. Another horse screwed by his jockey, but this one in the Preakness. He will not make that mistake today.
10. Mucho Macho Man - This horse is trending the wrong way. He's 8-9 with his only bad race being the Preakness, where he lost a shoe coming out of the gate. He's got new glue-on shoes which he seems to like. But he's a sprinter, not a long distance horse.
11. Isn't He Perfect - No
12. Shackleford - The extra distance is going to kill him. I won't even put him Top 3 today. This horse will NOT go a mile and a half.
3:21 PM PT: Rider's Up!
3:26 PM PT: Horses on the way to the gate while a recording of Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York plays. Much better than the crown chorus at the Derby and Preakness, lol.
3:33 PM PT: A very sloppy track. Which I will use as an excuse if my picks are way off.
This hurts the grass and poly horses.
Here's my final call:
1. Animal Kingdom
2. Nehro
3. Shackleford - moved him up to 3rd due to track conditions.
3:37 PM PT: My longshot money - that $50 you don't care if you lose - would go on Brilliant Speed.
3:38 PM PT: And they're off!!!
3:39 PM PT: Shack takes the lead. Animal Kingdom had a BAD start, almost losing his jockey. Feet out of the irons and now in dead last. Bad, Bad, Bad.
3:41 PM PT:
And an upset.
1. Ruler on Ice
2. Stay Thirsty - a SHOCKER
3. Brilliant Speed
4. Nehro
A $2 superfecta bets pays over $74,000. The race time was 2:30:88, over 6 seconds off the record time of Secretariat. One of the worst Belmont Stakes I've ever seen. Awful. Sloppy track, favorite loses all chance coming out of the gate, fractions are slower than slow. Ugh.
Hope to see you all next year for our next chance at a Triple Crown winner.
3:53 PM PT: For the record,,,only one person had picked Ruler on Ice in the poll before the race ended. Good for you.