5 reasons to watch the Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, is fast approaching. Here are some reasons to pay attention.

As has happened several times in the past 20 years, we are entering the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line. This time Justify will try to join American Pharoah as the only Triple Crown winners in the last 40 years. Ironically (or perhaps amusingly?) both of these horses are trained by the same man: Bob Baffert. Baffert had a long and widely lauded career before American Pharoah showed up in his barn. To date, he has trained 5 Derby winners and seven Preakness winners, but only two who have won the Belmont. Justify could make that three, and could make him only the second person in history to train two Triple Crown winners.

In order to win, Justify will need to hold up under the pressure (which he has done admirably so far) and have enough left in the tank to take care of business over a mile-and-a-half.

Stepping up to challenge Justify will be a field currently expected to include a few Derby horses that skipped the Preakness (Noble Indy, Hofburg, Free Drop Billy). They will be joined by Preakness runners (Vino Rosso, Tenfold) and a few newcomers (Gronkowski, Bandua). Justify’s old friend Bravazo is also expected to run. Of course, the final field will not be set until June 6, so these things may change.

5. Upset potential

Justify is favored to win the Belmont. He will be at race time, and he should be. He will be by far the most accomplished horse in the field. But the race will still be run, rather than just gifting him the title. Because you never know exactly what’s going to happen.

Horses are animals, rather than machines. That means that, among other things, they can be in a bad mood, or feel a bit under the weather any given day. And remember, all the horses that run in the Belmont will be extremely talented. While some people may present Justify as the only possible winner that is simply not the case.

The field for the Preakness Stakes was fairly small, only eight horses. The Kentucky Derby, of course, sported a super-sized field of 20. At this point 11 starters are expected for the Belmont. That means there are 10 horses who could take away Justify’s Triple Crown. And all of them could theoretically do it. They might not have the same natural talent as Justify, but talent doesn’t always dictate how a race will play out. The horses have to navigate a 1 1/2 mile race to the finish. There are countless ways for something to go wrong, and any little thing could change the outcome of the race. Some of the other horses might have things to say about that as well.