Belmont Stakes Field 2018: Horses Worth Backing for Final Triple Crown Leg

Justify will be out to make history on Saturday as he headlines the 2018 Belmont Stakes with the opportunity to become the second horse in three years to win the Triple Crown.

He powered to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes but is now on the verge of the greatest accolade in American horse racing if he emerges the winner at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

OddsShark gave a rundown of the odds for the field after Tuesday's post draw:

Trainer Bob Baffert was the man who took American Pharoah to Triple Crown glory in 2015 and will hope to guide another horse to the same feat on Saturday, with unbeaten Justify in fine fettle leading up to the clash.

However, there sits a field of stars hoping to glean the spotlight away from horse racing's current talk of the town, and the question is whether Justify has one more star performance in him to complete his hat-trick of trophies.

Read on for a preview of the race and a look toward Justify's bid for the Belmont crown, as well as which horses we might see challenge for top spot ahead of what could be a historical afternoon.

Preview

It's difficult to look past Justify as the outstanding pick to come out triumphant in Elmont on Saturday, but the overwhelming nature of his favourite status means he's far from the most valuable punt in the field.

If the Kentucky Derby was an early signifier that Baffert's leading runner is a genuine star, then his victory in the Preakness Stakes supported that rise further as he outlasted any challengers in very sloppy conditions, via NBC Sports:

Despite his fine run in the Triple Crown series so far, however, Justify won't be able to rest on his laurels if he expects to complete the treble, and Baffert knows this as well as any other.

He emphasised as much when he spoke of the need for Justify to produce his best one more time, per the official Kentucky Derby website: "You can't bring your 'B' game to the Belmont Stakes. Not every horse in there will bring his 'A' game, but the ones who do can beat us if we're not at our best. I don't think every horse brought his 'A' game [in the Kentucky Derby]."

Bravazo came back strongly at the Preakness to finish a close second to Justify, and racing consultant Bill Phillips has D. Wayne Lukas' top challenger pegged for another tough duel on Saturday:

Elsewhere, Hofburg comes back into the lineup after finishing seventh to Justify in Louisville last month, and he'll be considered one of those with a genuine chance of ending any Triple Crown dream in 2018.

It was initially thought Audible would also return to contest for the trophy in New York, and journalist Tim Layden described the controversy over the decision from owners WinStar—who also own Justify—to pull him from the field:

That serves some notice over just how serious a matter this is for Justify's owners, so much so that they would perhaps rather limit the amount of top-class competition running against the only Triple Crown hopeful in the pack.

Tenfold finished strong in the Preakness to end up third behind Bravazo and could be worth a punt at medium odds, but the form dictates we could be looking at another Baffert Triple Crown, with Justify its champion.