Posted on 5/24/2007 4:45:05 PM

Horse Betting - Belmont as Exciting

By GREG MELIKOV

The 139th Belmont Stakes could be an exciting showdown between the top three finishers in the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Street Sense’s loss by a head to Curlin in the Preakness Stakes ended hopes for a 12th Triple Crown champion, but it set up the rubber match between them that could be as exciting on June 9.

That’s if Street Sense runs. Trainer Carl Nafzger is leaning toward skipping the 1 ½-mile test, but said the final decision is up to owner James Tafel. The winning Curlin and third-place finisher Hard Spun are aiming to show up.

The 132nd Preakness started like the 2005 edition ended: Curlin stumbled out of the gate, almost going to his knees, but recovered quickly and stayed up with the field, thanks to Robby Albarado.

What a cool jockey Albarado was, considering two races earlier he was thrown to the grass course in the Dixie Handicap trying to guide Einstein around front-runner Mending Fences that broke down ahead of them.

However, Albarado bounced to his feet determined to record his first Triple Crown triumph in an 18-year career.

In the ’05 Preakness, Afleet Alex rebounded from his length loss in the Kentucky Derby to score convincingly at Pimlico during the wildest ride in the race’s history. Footnotes in the Equibase results describe the action:

AFLEET ALEX was angled towards the inside soon after start, gained a rail position down the backstretch, followed GREELY’S GALAXY into and around the far turn while saving ground, angled out three to four wide leaving the five-sixteenth’s pole, stumbled badly when clipping heels the heels of SCRAPPY T entering the stretch, quickly recovered, angled inside of that rival, surged to command a furlong out, then drew clear under steady right-handed pressure.

 

Afleet Alex was the 18th horse to complete the Preakness-Belmont double, which in recent times includes some pretty good 3-year-olds: Point Given, ’01; Tabasco Cat, ’94; Hansel, ’91; and Risen Star, ’88.

While Curlin aims to become No. 19, Street Sense could become the 12th completing the Derby-Belmont double; the latest was Thunder Gulch in ’95.

There is another scenario concerning the Belmont. If Derby runner-up Hard Spun, or any other horse not named Curlin or Street Sense were to win, it would be the seventh time since ’90 a different horse has captured each leg of the Triple Crown.

The most exciting Belmonts weren’t those decided by a nose three times. The quintessential race of the Triple Crown came on June 9, 1973, etched in the memory of longtime thoroughbred racing fans, including mine.

It was Secretariat’s finest hour. The son of Bold Ruler with the bright, reddish-blond coat roared to an amazing 31-length victory for 1 ½ miles in the record time of 2:24 to complete the Triple Crown.

As Secretariat lengthened his lead along the backstretch, TV announcer Chick Anderson stepped up his description: “He is moving like a tremendous machine!”

The official margin of victory wasn’t determined right away. Anderson estimated that Secretariat was perhaps 25 lengths ahead. For the official number, the chart caller studied films, and maybe viewed a very wide-angle still photo, to count the number of lengths.

Here’s the way the race was run, according to official footnotes made by the chart caller:

“SECRETARIAT, sent up along the inside to vie for the early lead with SHAM to the backstretch, disposed of that one after three-quarters, drew off at will rounding the far turn and was under a hand ride from (Ron) Turcotte to establish a record in a tremendous performance.”

While Street Sense’s 2:02 was the eighth slowest for the Derby’s 1 ¼ miles since ’95, Curlin’s 1:52 2/5 equaled the record for the 1 3/16 miles set by Tank’s Prospect in ’85 and Louis Quartoze’s winning time in ’96.

The rubber matter would be great for racing.

Keep checking the Locker Room all through the Triple Crown season, as we will cover the trainers, horses and jockeys in each race. You can get your early Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook in the Future / props section, under Horse Futures: 2007 Belmont Stakes.