Three weeks ago, a near-death experience on Preakness Day, or Fordham’s Graduation Day, forced me to slightly change the Paddy’s Picks format for guest analysis. Instead of publishing the article before the race, which would have been impossible for me to do as I sat in my black robes and slowly perished, I chose to wait until after the race and provide commentary for my guests’ picks in hindsight. After getting a significant amount of positive feedback after it went up, I decided to maintain the format for the Belmont Stakes.
Month: June 2022
Belmont Analysis: Saturday, June 11, 2022
If the Breeders’ Cup is never going to come to Belmont Park, then we’ll just have to go ahead and make our own championship weekend. In addition to the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, it’s hard to imagine a card of higher quality at this point in the racing season.
In nine graded stakes today, racing fans will have the privilege to watch some of the best at every distance and surface. Champions will be tested and new faces will undoubtedly stake their claim as the next ones in line. A select few may even begin to make cases as superstars, while others are already living legends. Admittedly, this sort of talk doesn’t always lead to profitability for bettors, as the presence of great horses often lead to short prices and small fields. But days like this are undoubtedly the life blood of the sport and should be appreciated for the showcase and spectacle they provide. Let’s get into it.
2022 Belmont Stakes Preview
The handicapping adages about the Belmont Stakes are so plentiful and unique that the race nearly qualifies as its very own branch within the sport. The demanding 1 ½-mile distance is the unmistakable defining feature of the third leg of the Triple Crown, and because the horses have never run that far (and will likely never run that far again), theories abound about the way to win it.
Some say it’s a jockey’s race. If that’s the case, long shot Barber Road has the advantage this year, as his champion rider Joel Rosario is the only one in the field with two wins in the Belmont (Tonalist in 2014 and Sir Winston in 2019). Others say the pedigrees tell the tale. It’s no coincidence that three horses in this field descend from Tapit, the sire of last year’s Belmont winner, Essential Quality. Some like closers while others like front runners, and pace plays a part more than it does at any other traditional distance.