Racetrack Lenny

Belmont A Week Away

With no triple crown to draw out the crowds, Belmont Park has scaled back its expected attendance from 100,000 to 70,000. Last year, a record throng of 123,000 showed up only to see Smarty Jones get passed by Birdstone (34-1) in the final strides.

Afleet Alex will be Saturday's stand-out and likely will be odds-on. Figure on 4/5 to 7/5. Can the amazing Afleet Alex be beat? I think so. When you look at Afleet Alex's racing record, he follows a sensational performance with a less stellar one. While he still finishes in the money, I will look to side with others, especially given Afleet Alex's low odds. We'll see what the field looks like when it gets announced this coming Wednesday.

Giacomo will attract some money because his will be a familiar name. He won the Derby and finished a non-threatening 3rd in the Preakness. I doubt Giacomo can win the Belmont since the Belmont has never been kind to deep closers like Giacomo. The Belmont usually goes to a horse that is in the top 4 or 5 at every call of the race. Many Belmonts have been won in gate to wire fashion.

A.P. Arrow is an interesting entry. He broke his maiden at Churchill Downs after the Derby. He won his first race at a mile and a quarter and won in faster time than the Derby. He came out of that race well and the horse is bred to run all day. However, he has never run against top caliber horses that he will face on Saturday. So, an interesting possibility. We'll see where his odds are.

Nick Zito will have a three-some in the Belmont: Andromeda's Hero (8th in the Derby), Pinpoint (winner of the Sir Barton at Pimlico) and a surprise entry in Indy Storm, winner of an allowance race at Belmont. Indy Storm's only credential is that he is bred to run all day having A.P. Indy bloodlines.

Scrappy T will not run in the Belmont. The owner and trainer conceded that he just cannot get that distance. So, we won't have to worry about Scrappy T going wide on the turns.

For the first time in a long time, a maiden will run in the Belmont: Nolan's Cat. Whatever the owner/trainer are thinking is impossible to decipher. The horse has no chance.

Racetrack Lenny

racetrack lenny went to the post at @ 6:40 PM