Belmont Stakes Top Contenders

by Patricia Woo | Jun 1 2009

On Saturday, June 6, the 141st Belmont Stakes will take place at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. The $1M race is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown series that began in Churchill Downs on May 2nd with the Kentucky Derby, and continued at Pimlico Race Course on May 16th with the Preakness Stakes. And even without a potential Triple Crown winner to cheer for this year, the 2009 Belmont Stakes promises 12 furlongs of thrilling horse racing action. Just in time for you to bet on the 141st Run for the Carnations, Bodog Racebook takes a look at the top Belmont Stakes contenders.

Discounted from the outset of the Kentucky Derby - he had, after all, finished dead last in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2008 - Mine That Bird, along with jockey Calvin Borel, went for a fairytale ride in the first leg of the Triple Crown, beating 50-1 odds to win the Kentucky Derby. Then, after losing his rider to fellow competitor and Kentucky Oaks champion Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird proved his Kentucky Derby win wasn't a fluke - Mike Smith rode the Birdstone gelding to a runner-up finish in the Preakness Stakes. On June 6, Borel and the Chip Woolley-trained Mine That Bird will be reunited in what could be a storybook ending to this Triple Crown tale. But the duo will face a much drier, faster track in the Belmont Stakes, which could be detrimental to Mine That Bird's performance. And having raced in two Grade 1 stakes races in just over a month, Mine That Bird could be susceptible to fatigue. But without Rachel Alexandra to contend with and with Borel back in the saddle, Mine That Bird is a Belmont Stakes frontrunner.

Having skipped the Preakness Stakes after finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, Chocolate Candy is primed for a big Belmont Stakes performance. A Candy Ride colt, Chocolate Candy has been in training at Belmont Park since May 4 under the supervision of Jerry Hollendorfer, who has been pleased with what he's seen so far. "We're particularly happy with the way he's handling the Belmont racetrack," Hollendorfer said. "We're optimistic that he's doing very well." Experience on Belmont Park's wide, gently sloping track should be a big advantage for Chocolate Candy, whose recent racing history includes a runner-up finish in the $750,000 Gr. 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4 and a win in the $200,000 Gr. 3 El Camino Real Derby on Feb. 14. Jockey Garrett Gomez gets the call on Chocolate Candy.

Other starters looking like true contenders in the lead-up to the Belmont Stakes include Summer Bird, who is handling the Belmont Park track much better after being equipped with rear toe grabs; Mr. Hot Stuff, who will ship in from Lexington, Ky., on June 3 where he's been training on the Polytrack surface at Keeneland Race Track, and the Nick Zito-trained duo of Brave Victory and Miner's Escape, who have been training together at Belmont Park.

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