Look to the Longshots In the Belmont Stakes

I have been watching The Test of Champions for the past four decades, and I know it takes a unique kind of horse to succeed over a mile and a half at Big Sandy. The Belmont Stakes is a race that will underscore the greatness of a champion, but it also is one that tends to point out the deficiencies of a lesser horse. Over the years, I have learned to look past the favorites who will be beaten at Belmont. The average winning payoff for the Belmont winner over the last decade is a hefty 40 dollars, and I expect more of the same this year, so my money will be on the live longshots over the clear favorite. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

Vacation Over … What’s Next?

Seven days in Maryland over and out. I had more than my fill of crabs, the boardwalk, and sand in my…well you get the idea. Candie, Kendra and I did have a great time, and who knows, maybe we will make it back to Ocean City, Maryland sometime down the road. We decided on Maryland in the first place strictly to visit Pimlico, and a couple of days there was an experience that I will not soon forget. The pilgrimage to Pimlico and the Preakness was something I needed to do. Would I recommend the Baltimore oval as a racetrack destination? Maybe. It is different than any other racetrack I have ever been to, and as you know, I have been to a lot. A city track that is either old, or steeped in tradition, depending on your point-of-view, I will say that Pimlico puts on a good show for the Preakness. The traditionalist side in me hopes that Maryland never loses the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Heading back to Chicagoland on a jet plane, or actually a Mazda 5, in our case, I got to thinking about what is on the horizon for us horse racing fans. That is what I do after all, as the mile markers whiz by. Maryland to Delaware, back into Maryland, to Pennslylvania, to Ohio, to Indiana, and finally home in Illinois. Of course I’m going to think about the horses at least a little. Here’s what I was thinking about. The queen of the turf mile, Goldikova, returns on Sunday in the Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp, and she should have her hands full with the classy filly, Stacelita. Eight days after that, the Met Mile will be the third race of 2010 for Quality Road. In case you missed it, his last race in the Donn Handicap was one of the most impressive performances seen so far in the 21st century. Keeping my attention at Belmont Park, the Test of Champions, will be run six days later. While this year’s Belmont Stakes does not boast a list of big names, it is still a Classic, and one that I am salivating over as a betting race. One week later, Zenyatta the great, puts her unblemished record on the line in the Vanity at Hollywood Park, and that same weekend I will be road tripping to Louisville for a sure to be interesting Stephen Foster Handicap. Finally the first half of June may include the next race for my favorite horse Rachel Alexandra, and who knows, maybe it will be the race where we see the real Rachel. Am I deflated by another year without a Triple Crown winner? Nope, not me.

Belmont Stakes Blues

No Triple Crown this year. So what. We have not had a sweep in 32 years, and I am used to living without one, and now we do not have to worry about being disappointed by the Derby and Preakness winner going down in New York. The Triple Crown should be reserved for the crème de la crème. If we do not have that this year, than so be it, there should be no Triple Crown winner. Personally, I am not going to cry about it, nor am I going to talk about the Belmont as less of a race because there is no opportunity for a Crown winner. The Belmont is still the Belmont, which is one of the most important races in our nation. This year’s edition will be sans a Derby or Preakness winner, which will guarantee a trio of classic winners in 2010. That could make things very interesting later in the year, say in the Travers, with the three winners hooking up. Without a standout, the Belmont promises to be a very interesting race from both a competitive standpoint as well as a wagering opportunity. I know I am already looking forward to betting against the favorite. Here is a list of horses currently looking at the Belmont Stakes, with my earliest of morning lines: Ice Box   2-1 Fly Down   4-1 First Dude   6-1 Dublin   10-1 Make Music For Me   12-1 Devil May Care   15-1 Uptowncharlybrown   15-1 Game On Dude   15-1 Drosselmeyer   20-1 Stately Victor   20-1 Stay Put   20-1 Setsuko   20-1 New Madrid   20-1 Superstars and world beaters? No, but doesn’t this still look like a pretty interesting race? I will be looking forward to the Belmont Stakes as usual, plus the fabulous card that Belmont puts together for the day. If you want to sing your Belmont Stakes Blues, do it someplace else. ZATT is all in!