Big Daddy No Bucks' 2012 Belmont Stakes 144 Analysis
Contributed By Big Daddy No BucksPosted on 6/9/12 1:29 PM
How do you spell Belmont Stakes? Grueling. The Belmont Stakes is a colossal test of an American bred's metal if for no other reason than most American thoroughbreds really aren't bred to go a mile and a half. For those horses who ran in the Derby and Preakness, the Belmont should be an especially trying challenge. For most of the 2012 Belmont Stakes field the race is likely to be less of a race and more of an ordeal.
This year the big question heading into the race was can I'll Have Another win the Triple Crown? I not only believe he was capable, but believe he would have accomplished the feat. Unfortunately, we will never know. Yesterday his connections announced they would scratch I'll Have Another and permanently retire the horse due to tendinitis. It was the right decision, but it still leaves a disappointing cloud hanging over the Belmont. The race was already clouded with rancor and disdain for the NYRA and the unions currently in dispute and threatening to cancel the race. With the possibility of a triple crown in the balance, many were willing to overlook the nastiness to watch possible history in the making.
Despite the loss of I'll Have Another's, there are other horses in the race show promise and could have toppled his Triple Crown quest.
Dullahan, ridden by Javier Castellano, seems to be the most likely to win. He is the new current morning line favorite. And then there is lightly raced Paynter, with Mike Smith in the irons. While he'd have to improve significantly from his Santa Anita Derby performance to be a contender, he seems to have a fair amount of raw talent.
Perhaps the hard luck story award goes to Union Rags. In both the Florida and Kentucky Derbies, Union Rags races were done coming out of the gate. While we've yet to see him race his race, Union Rags does have more than a fair amount of talent that could prove to be enough to take the Belmont.
My Belmont bets will be multis, mostly using Dullahan, Paynter, and Union Rags. I'll probably use Street Life as well. My long shot play will be Five Sixteen ridden by Rosie Napravnik.
Here's wishing us all good luck, and hopefully seeing a Triple Crown Winner this coming Saturday.
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