Belmont Stakes 2013: Preakness Horses That Should Skip 3rd Leg of Triple Crown

The Preakness Stakes certainly didn't go as expected, with the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Oxbow upsetting heavily favored Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Both Oxbow and Orb will almost certainly compete in the Belmont Stakes as they attempt to capture two out the three Triple Crown jewels, but much of the field is unsettled.

There figures to be a combination of Kentucky Derby and Preakness horses, as well as newcomers involved in the race, but it will be at least a week before the field truly starts to come together. Until then, all racing fans can really do is speculate on which horses may or may not be entered into the final Triple Crown race.

Here are three horses that competed in the Preakness that should be stabled and held out of the Belmont Stakes on June 8.

Goldencents

While there are a few horses that are certainly in the running for the title, Goldencents may very well be the most disappointing horse of the Triple Crown season. He entered the Kentucky Derby to plenty of fanfare, but he finished 17th out of 19 horses. Goldencents attempted to redeem himself in the Preakness, and while he ran a better race, he was only able to finish fifth and wasn't really a factor.

Some of the blame lands on Goldencents, but jockey Kevin Krigger and trainer Doug O'Neill clearly didn't hold up their end of the bargain. Krigger and Goldencents picked up a huge win at the Santa Anita Derby prior to the Kentucky Derby, so Krigger was extremely confident. Brian Zipse of HorseRacingNation.com poked fun at his signature confidence in this tweet:

If Goldencents does indeed sit out the Belmont as Zipse suggests, it is probably the best move for all involved. Goldencents is a good horse, but he simply hasn't been competitive in the Triple Crown events. There is no use entering him into the Belmont when Krigger and O'Neill can focus on other, more realistic races instead.

Will Take Charge

After what seemed like an unlucky trip in the Kentucky Derby, there was some thought that Will Take Charge would be a threat in the Preakness. Will Take Charge only finished eighth in the Derby, but he appeared to be making a late run before getting caught in traffic.

That wasn't an issue in the Preakness; however, Will Take Charge simply didn't have anything in the tank to make a late run. One of Lukas' three horses in the Preakness field, Will Take Charge ended up seventh and was never a threat to Oxbow.

There was a decent amount of hype surrounding him in the Preakness because Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith took the reins from Jon Court. Smith didn't make a difference, though, and Court will be back on Will Take Charge in the Belmont, according to Justin Lewis of KATV in Little Rock, Ark.

That means Will Take Charge is all but confirmed to run in the Belmont. It is Lukas' prerogative to enter the horse in the race, but it seems somewhat pointless. Will Take Charge looked dangerous in the Kentucky Derby, but he had nothing in the Preakness. Unless a miraculous improvement occurs between now and June 8, Will Take Charge will finish near the back of the field.

Titletown Five

Placing a horse with one career victory in the Preakness Stakes seemed like a strange decision on Lukas' part, but that is precisely what he did with Titletown Five. The colt, which is co-owned by Green Bay Packers legends Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, lived up to his long-shot status, as he was never in contention and finished dead last.

It wasn't Titletown Five's fault, as he was clearly over-matched and shouldn't have been put in that situation to begin with.

With that in mind, it seems unlikely that Titletown Five will run in the Belmont. But Lukas has a penchant for entering horses for the sake of doing it. Will Take Charge appears to be a near lock to run in the Belmont, despite being a non-factor in the Preakness, so it wouldn't be a big shock if Titletown Five did the same.

There haven't been any indications one way or the other, but the safe bet is that Titletown Five won't run in the Belmont. That would clearly be the right decision, as he wouldn't stand a chance to post a respectable finish. It's great that Titletown Five's owners and supporters can say that their horse ran in a Triple Crown race, but it should end at one.

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