Regardless of the outcome of the Belmont Stakes, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome will become the 12th. If he wins, he will become the 12th Triple Crown winner, and if he does not, he will become the 12th Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner since Affirmed to lose the Belmont Stakes. Here’s hoping it’s the former!

It’s been a long road since mid-February, but we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride and even cashed a few ticket along the way! We’ll pick up again next year as the 2015 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks trails swing into gear.

In the meantime, we’ve got some content to help you make the most of the Belmont Stakes.

2014 Belmont Stakes Cheat Sheet
A quick summary of the field, great to share with friends and family who don’t follow racing as closely as you do.

The Test of Champions 2014
Dive into the deep waters of the 2014 Belmont Stakes contender’s pedigrees and find out who is best suited for the Test of the Champion.

Ten Things You Should Know about the Belmont Stakes
How many Triple Crowns have been lost at the Belmont? How many fillies have won?

Ten Things You Should Know about the Triple Crown
The most coveted U.S. racing series has produced only 11 winners since 1919, and only three did not race beyond their 3-year-old season!

TV Schedule
Friday 5pm ET – Belmont Access – NBC Sports Network
Saturday 2:30 – 4:30 PM ET – Pre Race – NBC Sports Network
Saturday 4:30 – 7:00 PM ET – Belmont Stakes Coverage – NBC
Saturday 7:00 PM – Belmont Post Race – NBC Sports Network

On Saturday we’ll also post our picks for the Belmont Stakes card.

Have a great time, cash plenty of tickets and see you next year!

News About the Contenders
Blood-Horse: Ride On Curlin Keeps Running and Running
Blood-Horse: California Chrome Schools at Rainy Belmont
Blood-Horse: Baffert: Break Key to Chrome’s Crown Hopes
Blood-Horse: Easier Spot for Kid Cruz in Easy Goer
Blood-Horse: Social Inclusion Cuts Back in Woody Stephens
Brisnet: Chrome ‘perfect’ during gate schooling
Brisnet: Wicked Strong, Tonalist beat the rain at Belmont
DRF: Trainer Clement out to prove he does just fine on dirt
DRF: Victor Espinoza gets a second chance

Belmont Stakes
Belmont Park, Saturday June 7, post time: 6:52 ET
1 1/2 miles (12 furlongs)

The last jewel of the Triple Crown has confounded horse and handicapper in recent years. The Belmont has yielded a motley assortment of winners that defies categorization. There doesn’t seem to be the same level of rules that apply to the first two jewels of the Triple Crown. Whether it’s the Kentucky Derby with entries who have started at two, or the Preakness, with the advantage lying with those running back from the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont doesn’t have rules of form. The so-called “Test of the Champion” hasn’t been too kind to favorites either – only one (Afleet Alex) has won the last ten runnings, among a smattering of tote board shockers like Ruler On Ice ($51.50), Birdstone ($74.00) and Da’ Tara ($79.00).

California Chrome will attempt to capture the elusive Triple Crown and on recent form alone, he towers over this group. While some may have doubted his winning performance in the Kentucky Derby, as this writer did, he allayed all skepticism with a smashing Preakness win. In the Preakness, he neutralized the early speed in Social Inclusion, turned that foe away on the far turn when tested, and spurted away from a closing Ride On Curlin in the stretch. On paper he would appear to have as good a chance to capture the Crown as any of who’ve had the opportunity since Affirmed in 1978—if not better. That chance is further enhanced by a projected early pace that could play to his benefit, as once Social Inclusion opted for another spot instead of the Belmont, this race is noticeably devoid of early speed when compared to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. His biggest obstacle may not necessarily appear in horseflesh on the track, but more in the demanding distance of the Belmont itself three weeks after back-to-back winning but perhaps taxing efforts in the Derby and especially the Preakness.

Second choice on the morning line Wicked Strong appears to be California Chrome‘s main foe. He’s the only other Grade 1 winner in the field, having won the Wood Memorial in April, and he’s got a lot going for him in this spot. For one, his Kentucky Derby was an eventful trip; he stumbled at the start, got caught five-wide early bumping with Candy Boy, was shut off by Danza in the stretch, and still somehow managed to finish fourth. For another, he returns to New York where he’s done his best running. He projects a little more forward placement in this race and won’t have as much traffic to deal with as in Kentucky Derby. His three subsequent works over the Belmont training track after the Derby, including his penultimate work at one mile on May 25th, suggest that he’s ready to deny California Chrome the crown.

Tonalist is third choice on the morning line. This lightly raced colt has always had an air of quality to him, and he’s been brought along slowly by trainer Christophe Clement (who certainly knows how to win a race at a route of ground), perhaps with this race in mind all along. His graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 Peter Pan four weeks ago was a winning one that never really appeared in doubt. While his speed figures do not quite measure up with some of the others in here, he’s still open to improvement and his pedigree suggests that the distance will not be an issue. Do question what price makes sense as a bet on Tonalist, as there are quite a few factors–speed, improvement and class–that he would have to trump to win this race.

Ride On Curlin has danced about as many dances as a 3-year-old can at this point in the year, and yet he’s never won a graded stakes race from seven tries. His Preakness was about as perfect a setup as he’s likely ever going to see, yet he was unable to get by California Chrome in the stretch, even when it appeared he would do so. His two wins were at sprint distances, and he’s running out of excuses for consistently being a bridesmaid in top-class company. Sure, he’s the type you want on any exotic tickets, but at fourth choice, he appears over the top for the top spot in a race where his foes have proven better time and again.

Commanding Curve blew up the Kentucky Derby tote board when closing fast for second at 37-1. Almost immediately after the race, trainer Dallas Stewart laid out a plan for the Belmont Stakes. Deep closers who fared well in the Derby rarely run back to that form in the Belmont, as there’s usually not the chaotic pace in the Belmont as in the Derby. Recent examples of this phenomenon include Ice Box (ninth as the favorite in 2010), Golden Soul (ninth as sixth choice in 2013, and also trained by Dallas Stewart) and Dullahan (seventh as the favorite in 2012). All three of those are eerily similar to Commanding Curve. Perhaps a case could be made that he will be more forwardly placed into an expected tepid pace, which would set him up to be in a better position to unleash his closing kick, but ultimately I feel like we’ve seen this show too many times to take a chance on him in the win spot.

Samraat returns to the scene of his debut maiden win as a 2-year-old at Belmont last fall. He’s another, like Wicked Strong, who ran pretty good in the Derby, though his trip wasn’t quite as eventful, yielding to California Chrome in the stretch. He figures to be with California Chrome early in the race and that certainly could set him up for a piece of things late. Trainer Rick Violette had Samraat work back-to-back 1-mile breezes in preparation for this, and the New York-bred should certainly benefit from being back home, but do question how far Samraat‘s modest pedigree wants to go as 1 1/2 miles may not be up his alley.

General a Rod took the worst of it in the Preakness when he was stuck behind the backing-up filly Ria Antonia on the far turn, and yet he still ran on to finish fourth. At first glance his form doesn’t inspire, but he’s got the kind of plodding running style that should work very well in this spot if he can work out a trip. Trainer Mike Maker taps new riding services in Rosie Napravnik, and as silly as it may seem, if he runs back to his Preakness form, he’s certainly worth considering at a very long price.

Medal Count is another who had a Derby troubled trip when he also got shut off by Danza in the stretch. That was his third race in 28 days, and he hasn’t missed a beat training-wise since, working three times at Churchill Downs after the Derby, firing two bullets. The question is how much Medal Count likes dirt, as his best runs have been on turf and synthetics, and he’s perhaps geared more to those surfaces than dirt. While he has shown improvement with each start, this spot is still a tall order.

Commissioner has a flashy pedigree from flashy connections. The son of A.P. Indy by the multiple stakes winning mare Flaming Heart has had his chances against this class of horses all spring. He was a flat sixth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, a distant third in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby, a well-beaten sixth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, and a no-threat second in the Grade 2 Peter Pan. If you like Tonalist, Commissioner is certainly worth including, but he’s never really proven he can make the jump in class despite being in the capable hands of trainer Todd Pletcher.

Matuszak and Matterhorn round out the field and both would need to improve by more than 10 lengths to factor. Matuszak hasn’t won since his debut at Churchill last September, and although he’s in the capable hands of trainer Bill Mott, he’s finished behind Kid Cruz in his last three efforts, and Kid Cruz was a non-factor in the Preakness. Matterhorn is lightly raced, eligible to improve and a three-quarter brother to multiple graded stakes winner Title Contender. The problem for Matterhorn is that his last effort in the Grade 2 Peter Pan was not the step forward needed to signal he’s ready for a race of this caliber.

– Chris Rossi

2014 Belmont Stakes Chart

2014 Belmont Stakes Replay