• this is the first time since 2010 that there is no horse to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
• the field includes five horses that appeared in the Kentucky Derby (G1) five weeks ago and two that ran in the Preakness three weeks back; none of them ran in both races.
• only 3 Preakness winners in the last 14-years have gone back-to-back and won the Belmont as well. (a 21.4% probability). i.e., Rombauer, I’ma typing @you!
• this signature equine grueling marathon of a 12-furlong race… makes any come-from-behind Prop Line most alluring each and every 3-year-old season.
• Finally, do observe that only two horses cracked my aggregate (∑) 3-point cumulative total point barrier this third-year racing season! That has never happened before with no 2021 pony tallying ≥3.5 points all (non)-juniorific season long!

$1,500,000.oo Race #12: ~6:49 PM (post-time):

Right now, in this historically rather narrow or smallish single-digit entry type of Belmont field…

With a very wide Trainer, Todd Pletcher net (3 of 8) or 37.5% single barn net being cast…

Conventional wisdom posits, avers, and connotes that the field will be chasing early pacesetter Rock Your World (9-2), who got post no.7.

It also -and rather unconventionally- suggests that this 3-year-old crop; although shy on pure speedsters, scores reasonable distancing markers along the pedigree way. NOT epic distancing markers, tho’ markers that clearly slot north of the rather modest 2021 trifecta aged velocity markers themselves. Got it?

At least I thought they were… and maybe a few of ’em at least a little bit, was…

❓🏇❓

…although NOT here. As the best distancing 3-year-olds in this less parts sprinting overall trifecta crop elected more and more to not go the distance, here.
Why I do not know? I do know all of them elected
to skip the 2021 Belmont this Trip’ Crown
racing season?

And you can file that one away under the manila folder label of: “You cannot make this ‘bleep’ up”. As back in early May here Eye had (mistakenly) thought that the only thing this modest to so-so looking set of third-season ponies may have lent itself to was/is distancing itself. However, Ram, Brooklyn Strong, and a few others have gone “Geronimo” and Belmont bailed out here in a hurry to boot.

–oOo–

The call:

Ergo, therefore, to wit… same as the other two rather uneven legs… Whiskey Tango Helen knows for the third S.N.A.F.U. time in a row all over again?

As I had erroneously thought this 3rd-leg would be the one with the most Triple Crown ‘cappin’ traction;

And yet the entire season has science-fact objectively (pretty much) turned the proverbial horseshoe upside ‘rong and spun all the way out on all of us.

---

Nonetheless, I do know that this is a deeper Belmont field -in theory- on proverbial racing paper than the recent Preakness Stakes was. Not a great Belmont field, just a deeper one with less bum-fighting or tomato-can type of club-fighters to mix my sporting metaphor.

i.e., last time was the less risk-averse time JIC the proverbial ‘anything and everything’ had all things happen.

And low-n-behold a 15-1 medium shot struck 2nd-leg of the 2021 Triple Crown stud-fee don’t look a Trojan-Horse in the mouth, gold. (my 4th rated pick outta 10 mind yah).

So, here goes nuttin’… and Coach God Willing;
as 2022 nearly has to make mo’ sense than this, right?

Belmont picks:

• Essential Quality to Show. (1u).
• Rock Your World to Show. (1u).

 

#wimps!