Belmont Stakes 2013: Kentucky Derby Horses That Will Challenge Orb and Oxbow

With the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown approaching, the Belmont Stakes field has begun to take shape. Fifteen horses have been confirmed and it is still possible that more could enter the fray in the coming days, so it promises to be a competitive race.

Much of the focus heading into the race is on Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow. There will be no Triple Crown winner this year, but those two horses have a chance to enter the history books by taking two of the three Triple Crown jewels.

Orb and Oxbow are unquestionably among the top contenders, but it would be unwise to write off the rest of the field. Here are three horses that also ran in the Kentucky Derby and have the best chance to ruin Orb and Oxbow's respective trips to New York.

Current Belmont Stakes Field

Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	3-1
Revolutionary	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	5-1
Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6-1
Freedom Child	Luis Saez	Tom Albertrani	8-1
Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	10-1
Unlimited Budget	N/A	Todd Pletcher	10-1
Overanalyze	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	15-1
Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	15-1
Vyjack	N/A	Rudy Rodriguez	15-1
Code West	N/A	Bob Baffert	20-1
Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
Giant Finish	Edgar Prado	Anthony Dutrow	30-1
Incognito	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Kiaran McLaughlin	30-1
Midnight Taboo	N/A	Todd Pletcher	30-1
Always in a Tiz	David Cohen	Dominick Schettino	50-1

*Field and odds courtesy of Daily Racing Form

Revolutionary

Many racing fans were surprised when Revolutionary was held out of the Preakness after a strong Kentucky Derby run where he finish third. Trainer Todd Pletcher was apparently looking to save his colt for the Belmont. Time will tell if that was ultimately the right decision. Revolutionary will certainly be better-rested than many of the horses on the field. While that doesn't guarantee a good finish, being fresh can't hurt.

Revolutionary actually entered the Kentucky Derby as the favorite thanks to late money being bet on him and jockey Calvin Borel. Revolutionary started near the rail at Churchill Downs, and Borel is notorious for thriving there, so the logic was sound. Despite their success as a unit, Revolutionary and Borel will be broken up since Javier Castellano will ride the horse in the Belmont, according to Revolutionary owner WinStar Farm.

While the jockey change may scare some bettors away, Revolutionary won two races with Castellano guiding him ahead of the Kentucky Derby, so there is a definite comfort level involved. Revolutionary was the Kentucky Derby favorite for a reason and he will be among the betting darlings in the Belmont as well.

Golden Soul

Much of the focus was on a particular "golden" horse prior to the Kentucky Derby, but a different one ultimately stole the headlines. Goldencents was considered a top contender at Churchill Downs; however, he couldn't maintain the blistering pace he helped set and ended up finishing 17th. Long-shot Golden Soul, on the other hand, made a late push and secured a shocking second-place finish.

Golden Soul sat out the Preakness, but he is back in business for the Belmont Stakes. He figures to get considerably more play from the bettors this time around.

And for good reason.

Golden Soul has finished in second just behind Orb and Oxbow in separate races during his career, so he can definitely run with them. In fact, Golden Soul has looked good during his workouts at Belmont thus far, according to Mike Welsch of Daily Racing Form.

The one change to consider is that Golden Soul will be ridden by Robby Albarado rather than Manuel Mena. That is probably a step up as Albarado has won the Preakness as well as a number of Breeders' Cup races, so he knows how to win on the big stage. Golden Soul seems to be on the verge of breaking through for a big victory. It could come at the Belmont.

Palace Malice 

Palace Malice may not seem like a Belmont contender on the surface. He only finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby, but running out of gas was the main culprit at Churchill Downs. Palace Malice charged to the front and set an unsustainable pace, but he showed that he is capable of getting to the front of the pack. If he does something similar in the Belmont—but tones it down a few notches—he could be a major player.

He is another horse that sat out the Preakness, which was probably a smart move on Pletcher's part. The early sprint clearly took a toll on Palace Malice and there was no reason to force him into the Preakness. He is now as fresh as can be and Pletcher has been extremely impressed with how he has looked on the track with the Belmont Stakes approaching, according to HRTV.

Obviously, Pletcher isn't going to downplay his own horse, but he has five of them in the Belmont field and simple seems to be more excited about Palace Malice than the others. Palace Malice will once again be ridden by Hall-of-Fame jockey Mike Smith and he certainly won't make the same mistakes that were made in the Kentucky Derby. With that in mind, Palace Malice could be a wire-to-wire winner like Oxbow in the Preakness.

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