Birdstone - Birdstone skipped the Preakness after a disappointing Derby but the long layoff is the least of his worries. He was underraced at two, lacks a stakes win at three, is not coming off a sharp race, has not won at nine furlongs, and has not run to the Beyer par, in fact he has not broken 100. The only positives are that he did race in the Derby, has enough starts at three, and is capable of stalking the pace.
Mustanfar - This outsider skipped the first two legs of the Triple Crown after finishing fourth in the Blue Grass, instead starting in an allowance race at Belmont where he finished third. The only positives are that he has enough starts at three, is coming off a sharp race, albeit not in a stakes, and can stalk the pace. His negatives are many: he was underraced at two, does not have a stakes win at three, is coming off too long a layoff, has no wins at nine furlongs, and his best Beyer is a 100.
Tap Dancer - Last on our list is Tap Dancer, who has not won since last August and was overraced at two. Besides this, he was not in either of the Derby or Preakness, lacks a stakes win at three (in fact he has not won at three), has not won at nine furlongs, and his career best Beyer is an 89 in his seventh place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby. Worst still, he generally sits well off the pace early but never can put in a decent rally. On the positive side, he has enough races at three, is coming off a sharp race (fourth by three lengths in the Sir Barton), and is coming off a three week layoff. He is clearly outclassed in this company.
Back to the first 4 contenders
Triple Crown quick links:
- Belmont Stakes Entries - Smarty Jones will face 8 rivals from post position 9
- Preakness Results - Smarty Jones wins again!
- Kentucky Derby Results - Smarty Jones wins!
- Free Belmont Past Performances - from DRF
- Free Belmont Past Performances - from Blood Horse and BRIS
- Belmont Weather - several forecasts for New York.
- Triple Crown Trail results for all the preps
- Belmont Stakes Official Site - lots of news
- Blood Horse Triple Crown Mania
- DRF Belmont Special
- Thoroughbred Times Triple Crown special
- Triple Crown Trivia Quiz - test your knowledge of the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont and compete with others.
- Triple Crown Index - the master list with even more info
