The excitement of Palace Malice's Belmont Stakes victory was enjoyed by more individuals than the average classic winner, as Cot Campbell, president of the trailblazing Dogwood Stables partnership, was joined by several partners on the winning podium following the final leg of the Triple Crown.

Campbell, who began syndicating horses in 1969 before forming Dogwood in 1973, is generally regarded as the originator of high-end racing partnerships. His partners in Palace Malice are Carl Myers, Paul Oreffice, Charlie Pigg, Mike Schneider, and Margaret Smith.

A sizable field of 14, including Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow, will line up to contest the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes this Saturday at Belmont Park.

The 1 1/2-mile challenge is the final leg of the Triple Crown.

The 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes will be the longest distance test to date in the careers of all 14 horses entered in Saturday’s race and for most, if not all of them, it will be the longest they will ever have to run in competition.

Even with several horses returning from high-profile two-turn starts in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, the added distance of the Belmont places each horse into unknown territory. With no direct on-track form to gauge who is best suited to handle the distance, pedigree becomes a much bigger factor in handicapping the race.

Although there is no Triple Crown on the line, history could still be made in this Belmont Stakes by Unlimited Budget and her rider, Rosie Napravnik.

DRF Breeding staff writer Joe Nevills analyzes the Belmont Stakes field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku; a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

Frac Daddy

Sophomore slump hits hard

Still seeking the follow-up

To his maiden win

Freedom Child

Crushed the local prep

Not a strong precursor to

Belmont Stakes success

Khalid Abdullah of Juddmonte Farms, a multiple Eclipse Award-winning owner and breeder, will disperse part of the stock from his prominent international racing and breeding outfit.

Walter Bay, owner and breeder of champion Quarter Horse Cold Cash 123 and track president of Mount Pleasant Meadows in Central Michigan, died of cancer on June 6 at age 75.

A native and resident of Clare, Mich., Bay was the owner and CEO of trucking company Tandem Transport Corp., where he worked for 42 years. He also served as president of the Michigan Trucking Association in 1991, and was its chairman from 1992-1993.

It would be difficult to find a more experienced or impassioned voice for Thoroughbred racing than Lonny Powell.

The deal took 15 minutes and could have been done faster if they’d skipped the small talk.

Mike Pegram vividly remembers his conversation with the late Scoop Vessels in the fall of 1994, negotiating for the stallion In Excess to move to the historic Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, Calif.

The two men knew the arrangement they wanted and made it happen fast.

“We formed a partnership, and the rest is history,” Pegram said earlier this month.

Lee Thomas photo/courtesy Lane's EndCandy Ride