Today’s Belmont Stakes appears to be a match race between Preakness winner War of Will and Tacitus, the fourth-place finisher at the Kentucky Derby.
The stakes-studded card includes the Acorn for 3-year-old fillies with unbeaten Fancy Dress Party, trained by Ben Colebrook. Casual bettors looking to get away from the scratch tickets for an afternoon can try a Pick 3 with the Met Mile in the 9th, the Manhattan Handicap in the 10th and the Belmont Stakes.
Here’s a closer look at the feature race:
11th Race (6:37 p.m. NBC) 1 1/2 Miles, $1.5 Million Purse
Post (Odds) Starts W-P-S; Best Beyer Speed Figure; Career Earnings
1. (30-1) JOEVIA (5-2-2-0) 89; $131,600
Gregg Sacco/Tyler Gaffalione
Won the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park after being DQ’d in the Wood Memorial for causing interference on the first turn. The Long Branch score was on a sloppy track against a field of four. Enough said.
2. (12-1) EVERFAST (11-1-2-1) 96; $464,805
Dale Romans/Luis Saez
Its two best Beyers and the bulk of its earnings were garnered from runner-up finishes in the Preakness at 29-to-1 (96 BSF) and the Holy Bull (83 BSF) at 128-to-1. The lone win was by a neck at Ellis Park last August.
3. (8-1) MASTER FENCER (7-2-2-0) 96; $234,392
Koichi Tsunoda/Julien Leparoux
Japanese-bred colt’s 96 Beyer and seventh-place finish in the crowded and muddy Kentucky Derby proved he deserves another chance.
4. (15-1) TAX (6-2-2-1) 96; $326,300
Danny Gargan/Irad Ortiz Jr.
Finished 15th in the Kentucky Derby after his “spirited tussle” against Tacitus in the Wood Memorial. Chalk it up to the Churchill slop; Gargan switches riders but it won’t matter if the reported bruised hoof hasn’t healed.
5. (12-1) BOURBON WAR (6-2-1-0) 93; $326,300
Mark Hennig/Mike Smith
Underachieving 3-year-old took plenty of money at the mutuels while finishing off the board in the Preakness and Florida Derby. A $410,000 yearling purchase, Hennig puts Mike Smith in the saddle.
6. (15-1) SPINOFF (5-2-1-1) 95; $260,000
Todd Pletcher/Javier Castellano
Third-from-last effort and the 76 Beyer at the Kentucky Derby has railbirds wondering if the runner-up finish and 95 Beyer in the Louisiana Derby was a fluke.
7. (12-1) SIR WINSTON (9-2-1-1) 100; $161,773
Mark Casse/Joel Rosario
Colt has no wins in four starts this year, but he’s the only horse in the field with a triple digit Beyer. That was a month ago in the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park. The colt’s speed and closing ability on the Big Sandy makes him a live longshot.
8. (10-1) INTREPID HEART (3-2-0-1) 92; $140,400
Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez
Up-and-comer out of the Pletcher barn cost $750,000 as a yearling and his Beyers indicate he might be worth it — 85-92-92 in three starts. Colts sired by Tapit have won three of the last five Belmont Stakes.
9. (2-1) WAR OF WILL (10-4-1-1) 99; $1,491,569
Mark Casse/Tyley Gaffalione
Off at 17-1 in the Kentucky Derby, Gaffalione had moved his colt from sixth to fourth to third and was ready to challenge for the lead when Maximum Security went wide and knocked him out of contention. He returned to win the Preakness under a brilliant ride by Gaffalione, who Casse calls the next Johnny V.
10. (9-5) TACITUS (5-3-0-1) 97; $953,000
Bill Mott/Jose Ortiz
Colt’s only off-the-board finish was in the Ky. Derby, and yet that might have been his best race. Off at 6-to-1, he was 16th down the backstretch and got up for fourth despite being bumped and jostled. The win in the Wood was similarly hard fought. His 9-5 morning line status makes him the horse to beat.
(Sources: Daily Racing Form, Equibase, Horse Racing Nation, America’s Best Racing, Bloodhorse)
PICKS:
Chip Ainsworth: Bourbon War
John Dobrydnio: Tacitus
Jeff Lajoie: Bourbon War
Jason Remillard: War of Will