The Triple Crown Trail ends with twelve in the Belmont Stakes and with the injury to Classic Empire, the race has taken on an entire new dimension. Classic Empire, who could have been the favorite in the Belmont Stakes.
Classic Empire has a hoof abscess in the bulb of his right front. It is the same issue that surfaced after his third-place finish in the February 4 Holy Bull.
As the Triple Crown Trail is already upside down because of this injury, let’s look at the Belmont Stakes from the outside post in.
Patch will break from the extreme outside post position but going a mile and half, that will not be that huge a factor. This runner has a grinding style that could suit this classic but the truth of the matter is that he has only won once in this career.
Similar to Classic Empire, Epicharis also has issues. This runner is very talented. He won his first four races and lost his last race by only a head in Dubai. His first three wins were by a combined 25 lengths. This runner did not train on Thursday because he had lameness in his right front foot that was discovered early in the week. Timing is everything in life and this timing stinks.
Multiplier will be making his second appearance on the big stage as the Triple Crown Trail ends. The racer was
solid in the Illinois Derby and at least he finished okay in the Preakness in his other classic try. His trainer Brendan Walsh decided to train this racer in Kentucky instead of shipping to New York early.
Meantime will start from post nine and he will be sent hard to the front early. He is a free-wheeling runner and his tactical speed is a thing of beauty. He broke his maiden with a 7 ½-length victory at Keeneland in April and also posted a second-place finish to Timeline in the May 13 Peter Pan on a sloppy and sealed track. If this runner does not make the lead, he should be in the first tier of horses. He will be the master of his own destiny.
Senior Investment will be banking on a hot pace. The way horses finish at times can be confusing. Just because a horse finishes strong in a race doesn’t necessarily mean he will improve with more real estate. Senior Investment came home well in the Preakness. He went from seventh to third in the final 100 yards. He is trained by Kenny McPeek and the trainer knows what to do with a good horse.
Irish War Cry breaks from lucky post 7 as the Triple Crown Trail ends. The New Jersey-bred star won his first two starts at Laurel and his sire Curlin was a two-time Horse of the Year. On his best day, Irish War Cry could bring out the guns and he was tabbed as the tepid 7-2 favorite.
Lookin at Lee is in the middle of the Belmont Stakes field. He runs his race every time and he may enjoy the mile and a half distance. He still has to prove he can find that killer instinct. His best chance will be if a speed duel somehow develops and the leaders fade into the sunset.
Hollywood Handsome is a pretty boy that has won twice. He was fully extended in his last race and we really don’t know how much it may have taken out of him.
In post four, J Boys Echo will be found and he carries the hopes of trainer Dale Romans. He didn’t get the best of trips in the Kentucky Derby and he has a right to improve. In the Derby, he was mugged out of the gate and that just took the steam out of him. One thing he has going for him is the company he has been keeping. He beat Cloud Computing by over three lengths in the Gotham Stakes and we all know what that rival is capable of under the right circumstances.
Gormley could be a bit of a phony. His win in the Santa Anita Derby was tainted as it was the slowest SA Derby since 1957. His best asset could be the fact he should be in the first flight.
Tapwrit has put in two poor efforts since winning the Tampa Bay Derby. He was sixth in the Kentucky Derby. After skipping the Preakness, Tapwrit should be ready to run strong as the Triple Crown Trail ends. Trainer Todd Pletcher has been successful with runners that ran in the Derby, skipped Baltimore and ran in the Belmont Stakes.
Twisted Tom will start from the rail as this is his first venture on the Triple Crown Trail. He also figures to be forwardly placed. In two of his last three wins he was sitting in the second spot early and then just ignited when it counted. This runner is no slouch. He has only run two poor races and was troubled in one of those. He is coming off a pair of stakes wins, the last in the Tesio at Laurel Park. Twisted Tom will be ridden by Javier Castellano, who won Preakness. He also has the pedigree to excel. He is a New York-bred grandson of 1995 Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch.
Twisted Tom is trained by Chad Brown and the runner put in a five-furlong work of 1:01.13 a week ago. It was the second best work of 24 workers. He galloped out in 1:13 4/5 and was working in company with a runner that should start in the Met Mile, Economic Model. If Economic Model runs big in the Met, which is three races before the Belmont Stakes, it will bode well for Twisted Tom. It would be some kind of a coup for Brown to win two Triple Crown races with different horses as he took the Preakness with Cloud Computing.
Irish War Cry is logically the one to beat in the Belmont Stakes and the Graham Motion student must be respected. You can draw a line through the Kentucky Derby as he lost all chance of winning with a horrible trip. He was boosted when the horse he beat by seven lengths in the Wood returned to win the Preakness.
With that said, Meantime can end the Triple Crown Trail on a positive note. He could be the speed of the speed and he will be ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith. Look for the rider to be aggressive and try to end the Triple Crown Trail by celebrating in the winner’s circle.
