Belmont Stakes 2013: Horses with Best Chance of Running Down Orb and Oxbow

Orb’s short-lived Triple Crown dream gave way to a tremendous wire-to-wire performance from Oxbow at the Preakness Stakes, creating an extremely intriguing showdown for the final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.

Both horses should be post-time favorites to add a second Triple Crown victory to their resumes, but as the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes proved, there are no guarantees in thoroughbred racing.

The full field of challengers has yet to be announced, but early indications point to a full field of 14 contenders. According to Jerry Bossert of the New York Daily News, the field could look a lot like this:

Horse	Trainer	Jockey
Code West	Bob Baffert	Undecided
Freedom Child	Thomas Albertrani	Luis Saez
Golden Soul	Dallas Stewart	Robby Albarado
Micromanage	Todd Pletcher	Undecided
Midnight Taboo	Todd Pletcher	Undecided
Mylute	Tom Amoss	Rosie Napravnik
Orb	Shug McGaughey	Joel Rosario
Overanalyze	Todd Pletcher	Undecided
Oxbow	D. Wayne Lukas	Gary Stevens
Palace Malice	Todd Pletcher	Mike Smith
Power Broker	Bob Baffert	Undecided
Revolutionary	Todd Pletcher	Javier Castellano
Unlimited Budget	Todd Pletcher	Undecided
Will Take Charge	D. Wayne Lukas	Undecided

There are some familiar names on that list, including Derby runner-up Golden Soul—one of eight Derby participants to potentially take part at Belmont.

Revolutionary is perhaps the most intriguing potential Belmont Stakes challenger on the list however.

Considered an early favorite to triumph at Churchill Downs, Revolutionary rumbled to a third-place finish at the Derby on an extremely sloppy track. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt didn’t run at the Preakness, but it will be interesting to see how he responds on the longest track (1 1/2 miles) of the Triple Crown circuit.

Pletcher could also bring Unlimited Budget to Belmont—potentially the first filly to run any of the three Triple Crown races this year.

Let’s take a look ahead to the Belmont Stakes and break down which of the rumored participants have the best chance of dethroning Orb and Oxbow on June 8.

Where: Belmont Park; Elmont, New York

When: Saturday, June 8 (time TBD)

Track Length: 1 1/2 miles

2012 Winner: Union Rags

Start the Revolution

Judging from the field of 19 that participated at Churchill Downs May 4, Revolutionary’s third-place finish was a tremendous feat. It may not have seemed as impressive at the time, but the field at the Derby has turned out to be an incredibly strong group.

Had Revolutionary run at the Preakness, we may be focused on horses trying to upend his second Triple Crown victory bid. There may not be a better challenger in the group.

The most telling sign of Revolutionary’s potential on Belmont’s 1 1/2-mile track is how well Pletcher’s best colt has performed on long tracks in his three-year-old season. All three of his wins since December 28 have transpired on tracks a mile or longer—the longest of which was the 1 1/8-mile track at the Louisiana Derby.

It’s too early to break down odds with the field not officially set, but Revolutionary should be considered a favorite to derail Orb and Oxbow if he participates at Belmont. With plenty of tactical speed to run from multiple post positions, there won’t be any reason to doubt the third-place Derby finisher.

Will Take Charge, May Take Belmont

Another of the early favorites to triumph at Churchill Downs, Will Take Charge turned in a disappointing eighth-place finish on May 4. It was to be expected, though.

The D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt is a streaky runner with boom-or-bust potential in any given race. He also busted at the Preakness with a seventh-place finish, but rumbled his way to two first-place finishes earlier this season in races each a mile or longer.

Post position will make or break Will Take Charge at Belmont, however. The colt is a late closer who loves to run just off the pace—a style that almost always necessitates a starting position toward the middle of the pack.

Given that caveat, Will Take Charge could either be a top challenger to take down Orb and Oxbow or a leading candidate to turn in another disappointing finish. A post position four or five spots from the rail will be a good sign, though.

The Golden Touch

Golden Soul made a hugely surprising run at Churchill Downs in finishing just behind late closer Orb, but was held out of the Preakness in favor of potentially running at Belmont.

The colt has been extremely consistent in his three-year-old season, finishing worse than fourth just once since November, including a runner-up finish behind Preakness winner Oxbow at Lecomte.

The most impressive aspect of Golden Soul’s season is his production on long tracks. Unlike most Triple Crown challengers, the Dallas Stewart-trained thoroughbred has never raced on a track shorter than a mile in length.

Late closers are common in this field (making for a potentially thrilling race), and Golden Soul is no different. He certainly has the ability to set the pace, but a good post position at Belmont could mean another tremendous finish from the Derby runner-up.