CALLING ALL HANDICAPPERS...The Belmont Stakes-June 10-2006?

Question

Who do u like to win the Belmont Stakes to be run in New York on June 10-2006 ?

Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Bluegrass Cat and Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner Sunriver, excluded from the Derby due to insufficient graded stakes earnings, give trainer Todd Pletcher a formidable one-two punch as the respective morning-line favorite and second choice for the 138th running of the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Belmont Park.


Bluegrass Cat was listed by New York Racing Association oddsmaker Eric Donovan as the 3-to-1 favorite against 11 other three-year-old males entered on Wednesday for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Sunriver is next at 4-to-1 with Derby third Steppenwolfer at 9-to-2 and Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) winner Bob and John at 5-to-1.

The 1 1/2-mile Belmont will be run as the 11th of 13 races on Saturday with post time at 6:33 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live during a two-hour broadcast on ABC that starts at 5 p.m.

Bluegrass Cat has not started since finishing 6 1/2 lengths behind Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby on May 6 and that plan by Pletcher to skip the Preakness Stakes (G1) was specifically designed to get the Storm Cat colt to the Belmont Stakes fresh and ready off five-week rest.

"We purposely gave him a few days off after the Derby and he's bounced back really well," Pletcher said. "He hasn't missed a day since and is doing well [heading into the Belmont]."

Bluegrass Cat is undefeated in two starts at Belmont, including a win in the Nashua Stakes (G3) on October 28. He later added the Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct to his two-year-old resume.

Bluegrass Cat is one of five entrants seeking to win the Belmont after running in the Kentucky Derby and skipping the Preakness, along with Steppenwolfer, Bob and John, Deputy Glitters, and Jazil. The last Belmont winner to run in the Derby but skip the Preakness was Birdstone in 2004; Empire Maker the year before and Commendable in '00 also accomplished the feat.

Sunriver comes into the Belmont after a hard-fought neck victory over Lewis Michael in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan on May 20 at Belmont. The last Peter Pan winner to capture the Belmont Stakes was A.P. Indy in 1992, although Lemon Drop Kid finished third in the '99 Peter Pan before his Belmont victory.

A full brother to two-time champion Ashado, Sunriver was third and 2 1/2 lengths behind Barbaro in the Florida Derby (G1) but was left out of the Kentucky Derby field. Being excluded from the Derby might not have been such a bad thing in the long run, Pletcher said.

"The long-term interest of the horse probably set us up better for the Belmont, but we still would have liked to take a chance in the Derby," Pletcher said. "But it was out of our control, so we went to plan B. The plan then was to run in the Peter Pan and he ran really well in the Peter Pan."

Steppenwolfer has trained impressively at Belmont for trainer Dan Peitz since his third-place effort in the Derby. The Aptitude colt turned in two sharp six-furlong workouts in 1:13 on the main track on May 27 and in 1:10.20 on the training track on June 2.

"[The 1:10.20 workout] indicates how well he's doing right now," Peitz said. "I hope he transfers that work to Saturday. He did it in hand and had a great gallop out afterwards. It wasn't like we were asking him to go that fast. If we had asked him for it, then I would have been concerned but he did it on his own."

Peitz said he expected Steppenwolfer, who was far back in the early stages of both the Arkansas Derby (G2) and Kentucky Derby before rallying, to be closer to the pace in the Belmont.—Tom Law

The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, trainer, and morning-line odds (all horses carry 126 pounds):

1. Platinum Couple (Tale of the Cat), Jose Espinoza, Joseph Lostritto, 30-to-1;

2. Sunriver (Saint Ballado),Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher, 4-to-1;

3. Hemingway's Key (Notebook), Jeremy Rose, Nick Zito, 15-to-1;

4. Bob and John (Seeking the Gold), Garrett Gomez, Bob Baffert, 5-to-1;

5. High Finance (Talk Is Money),Eibar Coa, Richard Violette, 12-to-1;

6. Oh So Awesome (Awesome Again), Mike Smith, James Jerkens, 20-to-1;

7. Deputy Glitters (Deputy Commander), Edgar Prado, Tom Albertrani, 15-to-1;

8. Jazil (Seeking the Gold), Fernando Jara, Kiaran McLaughlin, 10-to-1;

9. Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat), John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher, 3-to-1;

10. Double Galore (Grand Slam), Mike Luzzi, Myung Kwon Cho, 30-to-1;

11. Steppenwolfer (Aptitude),Robby Albarado, Daniel Peitz, 9-to-2; and

12. Sacred Light (Holy Bull), Victor Espinoza, David Hofmans, 15-to-1.

who will win...?

Answer 1

Jazil, hands down. He's a good closer with a nice come-from- behind kick that, with the extra running room the Belmont is gonna give him, should put him right up front at the finish line. He won't run out of track there like he did in the Wood and the Derby.

Answer 2

If you ever put a web-site together give me a ring...check my answers out....you can handle the facts..and me the HUMOR...Don't you just LOVE the their ain't no SPEED ,theirs speed in every race...except for HUMANs who sometimes hav to have that Rabbit(T &Field).....there is 3 speed balls,3 stalkers and 3 closers....and 3 that dont belong...mostly POSTED EARLY FADING SPEED.........for me...I cut this Horse DOWN for the Preakness........and know their here(at the belmont) Look at my name...where would you see this NAME in the program

Answer 3

there is one play and one play for value to pick up cash in the race in exotics only though...there is no speed in the race..and speed never wins this race.......i will leave it up to you find the value then..beyond just the high profile trainers names....

Answer 4

So, what is your question?