Belmont Stakes: Potentially Deeper Field Will Enhance Competition's Appeal

The 2013 Belmont Stakes are shaping up to be much more appealing for horse racing fans.

Not only is the field potentially deeper, but the competition level helps bolster the excitement. As reported by the New York Racing Association, the winners of the first two Triple Crown legs—Orb and Oxbow—appear to be on par for Belmont:

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He [Orb] was already in his stall when I got back here and seemed to be fine, said McGaughey. We’ll walk him a good while this afternoon and just kind of see what we have. The Belmont Stakes is on our radar screen.

According to NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes, Oxbow currently is slated to face Freedom Child, Golden Soul,Overanalyze, Palace Malice, and Revolutionary. Bob Baffert will run either Code West or Power Broker. Itsmyluckyday is possible.

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That's quite a field given everything that has transpired since the events leading up to the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

Obviously, the third leg of the Triple Crown would offer extensively more appeal had Orb won the Preakness Stakes. After all, with no Triple Crown winner since 1978, it's definitely long overdue.

Still, a deep field with the best of challengers is the next best thing. There's now a small rivalry between Orb and Oxbow after swapping victories through the first two legs, not to mention other strong potential contenders in Overanalyze, Revolutionary and Itsmyluckyday.

Factor in Belmont as the longest Triple Crown race and that simply inflates the events marketability. At 12 furlongs, Belmont is the utmost test regarding stamina, top speed and acceleration down the stretch.

Unlike Pimlico, which is the shortest of the three legs, Belmont's distance becomes a greater obstacle since it comes after the Preakness. Therefore, immediately adjusting from the least to the longest of lengths requires quick adaptation.

The race is not won right out of the gates, but a jockey cannot afford to let the pack get out of reach. Although more distance is provided to make a comeback, it's just as difficult to keep pace from the start.

Mesh it all together and a strong fusion of top-tier contenders with track length provides one intense competition for the fans.