The Belmont In Elmont

If the folks in Baltimore can pretend to get excited about a horse race once a year, why can’t the rest of the country look forward to the Belmont Stakes?

In the aftermath of Lookin At Lucky’s impressive win on Saturday, I’ve heard a plethora of amateur horse fans claim the Belmont as a race without any storyline.

Don’t tell that to Dale Romans and Donald Dizney. Falling three-quarters of a length short of a massive Preakness upset, the connections of First Dude with run their colt in early June in Elmont, New York. The surprise leader of the Preakness, First Dude hopes the extra distance works in his favor. He obviously won’t go at a break-neck pace like the Preakness, where he wrangled Kentucky Derby winner Super Save a blazing 22 and 4/5 opening quarter. First Dude has the highest Beyer rating in the entire field – which is incredible for a horse no one heard of a week ago.

Don’t let D. Wayne Lukas think you don’t care about this race. First off, he’ll yell at you. Trust me, I’ve seen it. Lukas sends out Dubin, again, in the final jewel of the Triple Crown. Once a promising horse, Dublin’s turned into a horse that rivals Perfect Drift. They’ll run him until he’s out of gas. If Dublin starts the Belmont he’ll become the only horse that ran every leg of the Triple Crown.

Don’t mention that Belmont is a joke to Thomas and Jack Conway. They’ll likely send out Stately Victor during New York’s best day of racing. Named for Jack’s best friend who died in a car crash when he was just 23, the Conway’s know how important this horse race acts to many who love this sport across the country. The Attorney General for the commonwealth of Kentucky, Jack is currently running for the U.S. Senate. On this Saturday in June, Jack won’t invest his time in politics. He’s got a shot in the Belmont.

Don’t let Todd Pletcher hear that the Belmont is useless. He broke his Triple Crown maiden a few years back with Rags to Riches and likely sends out another filly to beat all the boys again. Pletcher’s horse, Devil May Care, looked awful in the Kentucky Derby. She now has five weeks rest and another ¼ mile to motor past a large Belmont field.

They will run the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 5^th. It’s a mighty big deal. Just ask anyone still alive in the Pick 4.