Belmont Stakes 2017: Pedigree Wise, Twisted Tom Is It

In a Belmont Stakes that has left us without a Derby winner, a Preakness winner, a 2yo champion, and a Japanese invader, the remaining field of 11 is one of the most wide open fields in recent memory. In a race as grueling as the 1 ½ mile classic, many components come into play, but pedigree often times has one of the biggest says in the outcome.

And of all the horses in the Belmont field, the Chad Brown trained, New York-bred, Laurel stakes winning Twisted Tom may just have the best bloodlines backing him.

Twisted Tom is from the first crop sire Creative Cause, winner of the FrontRunner and Best Pal as a 2yo, and a familiar face on the 2012 Triple Crown trail following a victory in the San Felipe. Creative Cause never raced again following his 3rd place finish behind I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister in the Preakness, never making it to the Belmont, and with his furthest win coming in an 8.5f race, most probably wouldn’t consider him a sire packing stamina. But for those who dig the family angle, Creative Cause is a full brother to Destin, second place in last year’s Belmont by a mere nose.

Although Twisted Tom’s sire is possibly a sneaky source of stamina, his dam side is heavenly in itself. With his dam, Tiffany Twisted, by a Belmont winner in Thunder Gulch, and his second dam by Belmont winner Seattle Slew, and his third dam by Belmont winner Stage Door Johnny, and his fourth dam by the sire of a Belmont winner, Exclusive Native, Twisted Tom is as close to guaranteed to being Belmont distance ready as ready can be.

3-for-3 so far this year, Twisted Tom has mostly remained on the downlow for trainer Chad Brown, winning an Aqueduct allowance race before reeling off back to back Laurel stakes wins in the Private Terms and Federico Tesio. And for what it’s worth, Twisted Tom defeated O Dionysus in both the Private Terms and Federico Tesio, that being the same O Dionysus who was only defeated a nose by Belmont Stakes favorite, Irish War Cry.

While the speed figures may not be as up to par as others, Twisted Tom is continually improving and has yet to lose since the addition of blinkers. He picks up Javier Castellano and should be sitting in the perfect stalking spot just behind the pacesetters, which appears to be the optimal Belmont Stakes winning running style. Also, Twisted Tom wasn’t originally nominated to the Triple Crown, so today’s entry is in addition to a supplement, and I can’t help but think that was without good reason.

In a Triple Crown season as crazy as 2017, it only seems fitting for the Belmont Stakes to end it with a bang. Crazier things have happened, and if anything, the Belmont is the race for wild upsets. While I can honestly see half the field in with a winning chance, why not, I’m going with Twisted Tom.