The Belmont Stakes Lacks Kentucky Derby, Preakness Winners

By GREG MELIKOV

The Belmont Stakes 142 will not have the winning 3-year-old from the Kentucky Derby or Preakness in the Belmont field for the second time in five years.

In 2006, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro suffered a crippling injury early in the Preakness that proved fatal in early ’07. The Preakness winner, Bernardini, didn’t run in the Belmont or Kentucky Derby. In addition, Jazil, who skipped the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, won the Belmont Stakes.

This time both winners of the two Triple Crown legs are resting before the big summer stakes.

Race horse trainer Todd Pletcher pointed out Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver has lost weight since mid-March while hitting the board in three of four stakes. Pletcher said the eighth-place finisher in the Preakness Stakes would be freshened and pointed to the Jim Dandy on July 31 at Saratoga or the Haskell Invitational on Aug. 1 at Monmouth Park.

Trainer Bob Baffert is giving Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky a break with the Haskell his next likely start. Baffert calls the Belmont “a tough, long race,” according to BloodHorse.com. “I want to keep this horse around.”

While Pletcher won’t have a horse in the Belmont, Baffert probably will — his Lone Star Derby winner Game on Dude is under serious consideration. Should Preakness runner-up First Dude also run June 5, Baffert said the race would shape up as a “Battle of the Dudes.”

Trainer Dale Romans believes his First Dude will “move forward again. The mile and a half suits him and we’re excited to go up there.”

There could be as many as 12 or 13 Belmont horses. During the 21st Century, the largest fields were a dozen each in ’06 and ’00. In ’96, Editor’s Note triumphed over 13 challengers.

The largest Belmont Stakes field the past three decades was 15 in ’83 when Caveat defeated Slew o’ Gold.

Before ’06, the Belmont attracted at least the Kentucky Derby champ or Preakness winner dating back to ’70 when High Echelon triumphed. Kentucky Derby winner Dust Commander and Preakness victor Personality, eighth at Churchill Downs, skipped the 102nd Belmont.

The last Derby winner to take the third leg of the Triple Crown was Thunder Gulch, third in the ’95 Preakness. The last Preakness winner to capture the Belmont was Afleet Alex, third in the ’05 Derby.

Since ’95, 10 Kentucky Derby starters won the Belmont, but only two favorites did since Thunder Gulch: Afleet Alex and Point Given in ’01, who also took the Preakness.

In fact, since Affirmed won the Triple Crown in ’78 only a half-dozen favorites have scored.

Nick Zito, the most successful Belmont trainer in recent memory, could have as many as three Belmont Stakes entries. He had two Belmont Stakes winners in the past six years and saddled six runners-up.

Each winner derailed a horse seeking the Triple Crown: Da’ Tara surprised in ’08 as Big Brown finished out of the money and Birdstone upset Smarty Jones in ’04.

Zito will send out Kentucky Derby runner-up Ice Box and impressive Dwyer Stakes winner Fly Down. However, the last Dwyer victor to take the Belmont was Conquistador Cielo in ’82.

The trainer might even enter third-place Preakness finisher Jackson Bend, who came out of the race in good shape. “He’s a tough little horse,” Zito said.

About The Author

Greg Melikov: Horse Racing Handicapper/Turf Writer Greg Melikov has been handicapping and writing about horses for decades. His articles and columns appear in print and on the Internet around the world. Greg is a retired newspaperman who became a horse racing fan at 13 when he saw 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, his favorite horse, whip 20 older horses at old Arlington Park.

"The Belmont Stakes Lacks Kentucky Derby, Preakness Winners" was posted on 20 May 2010 11:06 PM under Belmont Stakes, Horse Racing News, Horses, Race Tracks, Racing Picks & Betting Tips, Stakes Races, Triple Crown

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