There is no Triple Crown on the line at the Belmont Stakes, as Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike skipped the Preakness to rest up for this race. Preakness winner Early Voting, in turn, is skipping the Belmont Stakes, with trainer Chad Brown preparing him for a summer campaign at Saratoga. Steve Asmussen is doing the same with Epicenter, the runner-up in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.
Still, if you have been following this year’s Triple Crown trail, there will be some names you recognize and some new additions from the Road to the Kentucky Derby. We the People, the morning line favorite at 2-1, will look to follow up a dominating 10 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes — and distance himself from an equally disappointing seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Here’s a look at the eight-horse field, with their morning-line odds.
1. We the People (2-1)
Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset.
Jockey: Flavien Prat.
This brown colt has three wins in four races after winning the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park by 10 1/4 lengths. His only loss was a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
2. Skippylongstocking (20-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Manny Franco.
This 3-year-old son of Exaggerator — the Kentucky Derby runner-up and Preakness winner in 2016 — was fifth in this year’s Preakness and third in his only other test in the graded stakes ranks, the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
3. Nest (8-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher.
Jockey: José Ortiz.
This talented filly will take on the boys for the first time after winning the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes and finishing second as the favorite in the Kentucky Oaks. She will try to become the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes since Rags to Riches in 2007.
4. Rich Strike (7-2)
Trainer: Eric Reed.
Jockey: Sonny Léon.
The surprising Kentucky Derby winner skipped the Preakness Stakes to stay fresh for this weekend’s big race, with his owner and trainer fearing the two-week turnaround between the first two legs of the Triple Crown would be too brief for a strong showing.
“We didn’t plan on the Preakness because we didn’t plan on winning the Derby,” Reed told reporters. “Everything we do has to be thought out real good. His running style makes it hard to win any race and everyone expects him to win them all now.”
5. Creative Minister (6-1)
Trainer: Kenny McPeek.
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
A third-place finish in the Preakness Stakes was admirable; however, McPeek’s colt has only beaten maidens and horses in optional claiming company. He’s intriguing in exotics like the trifecta and superfecta but an outright victory would require a big step up in class.
6. Mo Donegal (5-2)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
No stranger to New York, Mo Donegal broke his maiden at Belmont last year, then won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes in December and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in April, both at Aqueduct.
7. Golden Glider (20-1)
Trainer: Mark Casse.
Jockey: Dylan Davis.
This son of Ghostzapper, sire to 12 Grade 1 winners and the broodmare sire to Triple Crown winner Justify, finished second in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park in May. Unfortunately, Golden Glider didn’t finish in the money in three graded stakes before that. He ended up fourth in both the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes and Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, and only managed a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes.
8. Barber Road (10-1)
Trainer: Johnny Ortiz.
Jockey: Joel Rosario.
Barber Road hasn’t won in six starts since late November, yet he was in the money five times, including second-place finishes in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and Grade 3 Southwest Stakes. He also had a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes before a lackluster sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
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