The Triple Crown

Two down one to go.

With Mage had already taken the Kentucky Derby and National Treasure took the Preakness Stakes last weekend, it seems to me that a different horse will take the final leg of the Triple Crown, which is the Belmont Stakes on June 10, 2023.

Who that different horse will be remains to be seen.

As of today (Monday May 22, 2023), Mage will skip the Belmont Stakes and is given some time off in an anticipation that the horse will return to competition later this summer, particularly the Traverse Stakes at Saratoga on August 26, 2023.

It doesn't look like that National Treasure is heading to the Belmont Stakes either because his trainer, Bob Baffert, kind of given some hints the day after National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes that the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes is not National Treasure's best distance.

In other words, National Treasure will skip the Belmont Stakes if I read Bob Baffert's hints correctly.

So that leaves two (or maybe three) top-tier candidates that have a very good chance of winning the Belmont Stakes.

They are Forte and Angel of Empire as the main top-tier 3yo colts heading to the Belmont Stakes.

Perhaps, the third one is Red Route One.

The rest of the candidates for the Belmont Stakes are just third-tier horses that don't even belong in the overnight stake races -- let alone the Belmont Stakes.

Here are the rest of the candidates for the Belmont Stakes:

Arcangelo, Henry Q, Hit Show, Kingsbarns, Prove Worthy, Tapit Trice, and Raise Cain.