The Belmont Stakes
A battle between three nice horses
The Belmont Stakes has been run since 1867 and is the longest-running of the Triple Crown Races. This year’s Belmont should be a match between the top three horses in the 3YO crop, with JOURNALISM, SOVEREIGNTY, and BAEZA. It could be a dramatic race, and on paper, these colts are much the best. With the entry of RODRIGUEZ, there will be speed in the race. Keep in mind that the Saratoga distance is 1 1/4 miles, versus the traditional Belmont 1 1/2-mile test of champions. Johnny V and Pletcher have CRUDO for Bobby Flay, and he is 3 for 3, with a 100 Beyer in the Sir Barton Stakes from the Preakness undercard. SAVARA won the Sir Barton to prepare for his Belmont win. HEART OF HONOR is a great story, but I don’t see him being good enough to win. I suspect RODRIGUEZ will set the pace, with CRUDO, JOURNALISM and BAEZA tracking. If the pace is slow, the early leaders will run in fast and make it more difficult for SOVEREIGNTY to close. An interesting story is BAEZA’s mare, PUCA, and how she would be the best broodmare in history if he wins, being her 3rd Grade 1 Triple Crown winner. Flavian Prat will ride BAEZA; considering his ride in the Preakness, he’ll want to win more than most. There is a chance of rain, and if it occurs, it could cause issues. In the end, I thin k the race will set up well for JOURNALISM and BAEZA and they will finish together with SOVERIGNTY making a late move.
On a personal note, I wanted to thank you for reading my Triple Crown notes. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed connecting with so many people. The Substack platform has been straightforward, and I hope to build a larger group of horse racing enthusiasts. I use Substack for news and believe it may play a larger role in the media and news distribution. Forbes contacted me through my Substack, and I may be considered a contributor next year. Interesting stuff.
On the betting front, my syndicate “won” the Derby Superfecta twice but lost money. We have a portion of our initial amount and need 4:1 odds to win our money back. That is my goal, and I will likely bet BAEZA for an upset with an exacta with BAEZA singled on top with 3 longshots for 2nd place.
Order of Finish
1st - JOURNALISM
2nd - BAEZA
3rd - CREDO
4th - SOVEREIGNTY
PP’s for the Belmont Stakes
NEWS, ARTICLES, VIDEOS, ETC
Fun Facts on Belmont History - Belmont History
Secretariat’s great Belmont - worth a watch once a year and no Belmont winner since 1867 won by so many lengths. A track record and he went 3/4’s in 1:09.4 - unreal, especially for a 1 1/2 mile race.
The Saratoga Special -
The Clancy boys do a great job covering any racing news from Saratoga. Below is the link and you can go online to subscribe. it is a must read for daily Spa news.
Robert Clay - BAEZA Co-Owner and Breeder
The former owner of Three Chimneys Stud farm who now leads an ownership group that includes BAEZA. He talks about the last few weeks and he has seen it all. He wrote his thesis at William and Mary on the thoroughbred industry in the 60’s. his trainer, John Sheriffs, is probably the best Horseman in California. He bred BAEZA and owned the “blue hen” mare PUCA before selling her for a king’s ransom to new money guy in Kentucky, John Stewart. If BAEZA wins, PUCA will be the best mare of all time. Clay crossed the breeding enough to create winners. Vanderbilt bred four other full brothers to NATIVE DANCER and all the others we not worth a bucket of warm spit. Clay knows what he is doing.