Brad Free's 2018 Belmont Stakes analysis
Horseplayers are going to make mistakes. That's just part of the game. But in the end, it's not those mistakes that define you as a player, it's how you react to them. Just look at Jason Avila, who won his way into this weekend's Belmont Stakes Challenge last Sunday via DRF Tournaments.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes three times, and has finished second in the race five times. Last year, he finished first and third with Tapwrit and Patch. What all his winners have in common is that they came into the Belmont off a five-week break, a trend that has proven the most successful modern-day approach to the Belmont Stakes.
The New York Racing Association will offer a number of guaranteed pools and a pair of two-day daily-double wagers Friday and Saturday.
Should Justify win Saturday's Belmont Stakes and capture the Triple Crown, his connections will be the first recipients of a new-look trophy.
When a shot for a Triple Crown sweep is alive into the Belmont Stakes, there is absolutely nothing in the game like it. As great as the Breeders' Cup is, the electric atmosphere sure to be felt Saturday at Belmont Park will surpass anything else you can hope to experience in American racing.
There will be truth in advertising on Saturday at Belmont Park, as Justify, the number one 3-year-old in the land, will wear saddle cloth number one when he breaks from the rail in the Belmont Stakes in his bid to sweep the Triple Crown.
This weekend, Julie Krone will return to New York for a series of ontrack appearances at Belmont Park coinciding with the silver anniversary of her Belmont Stakes victory.
