The third jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown is set for Saturday, June 10 with the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes. This race is known as the “Test of the Champion” and is the longest of the three Triple Crown races. Always Dreaming captured the Kentucky Derby, and Cloud Computing took the Preakness Stakes, so who’s in good shape to win the Belmont?
No Triple Crown in Play
Of course, there will be no Triple Crown winner after Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming lost his early battle with Classic Empire at the Preakness and wound up finishing eighth. It looked like Classic Empire would stroll away with the win, but he ran out of gas as well, allowing Cloud Computing to catch up and beat him by a head.
Will Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winners Compete?
It looks like all of the horses at the Preakness came out healthy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll compete at the Belmont. As we go to press, Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing are undecided for the Belmont. Always Dreaming is coming off the worst race of his career and trainer Todd Pletcher, a two-time winner at the Belmont, could decide to let his horse rest and save him for the remainder of the year. Cloud Computing is trained by Chad Brown, who has never won the Belmont. However, reports indicate that Brown and Cloud Computing went straight to Elmont Park, so that’s a good sign. Always Dreaming is still posted at 14/1 while Cloud Computing is 8/1.
Classic Empire Favoured
Classic Empire is the 2/1 favourite after finishing fourth at the Kentucky Derby and then second at the Preakness. He overcame a rough start at the Kentucky Derby to finish fourth and raced fairly well at the Preakness to earn a second-place result. Can Classic Empire save enough for the final stretch of the longest Triple Crown race?
Keep an eye out for Senior Investment, who was 30/1 to win the Preakness, and Lookin’ At Lee, who was 10/1. These two horses finished third and fourth at the Preakness. On the Belmont futures market, Lookin’ At Lee is 5/1 and Senior Investment is 8/1.
About the Belmont Stakes and Belmont Park
The main track at Belmont is 1.5 miles long, making it the longest dirt track in North American horse racing. Horses will run one full lap around the track to claim a famous win in this race, which is called “The Test of the Champion” for the endurance required.
Attendance usually isn’t as high as it is for the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but that’s by design; when American Pharoah completed the Triple Crown in 2015, attendance was capped at 90,000.
*Odds as of May 24, 2017