California Chrome's Challengers: The 2014 Belmont Stakes Probables

 

With his Preakness victory California Chrome, will be the sixth horse since the year 2000 to head to the Belmont Stakes in pursuit of the Triple Crown. In 2002, California Chrome’s jockey Victor Espinoza finished eighth in the Belmont aboard War Emblem. Then it was Funny Cide finishing third in 2003. In 2004, Smarty Jones fell short by only a head. The two most recent tries for the Crown were the most disappointing, when Big Brown was pulled up and did not finish in 2008 and I’ll Have Another was scratched the day before and never ran in 2012.

Three weeks before the 2014 Belmont Stakes the NYRA Racing Office is expecting a field of eleven three year-olds to run for the $1.5 million purse.

Commanding Curve, second in the Kentucky Derby, and Ride On Curlin, runner-up in the Preakness, are slated to take on California Chrome again.

Four New York-based horses skipped the Preakness and returned home to freshen and prepare for the Belmont Stakes after running in the Derby: Danza the third place finisher, Wicked Strong (fourth), Samraat (fifth), and Intense Holiday (12^th).

Social Inclusion, third in the Preakness, is expected to join the Belmont Stakes field, along with Kid Cruz, eighth in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Tonalist and Commissioner are expected to make their first Triple Crown appearance after running first and second in the Peter Pan (G2) at Belmont Park, their home racetrack.

Since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown in 1978 a total of twelve horses have been unable to secure the Crown after taking the first two legs. California Chrome’s trainer Art Sherman has a right to be confident after his horse won his sixth consecutive race, “I’ll tell you one thing: he’s a real race horse. I’m hoping that the mile and a half is up his alley, too, because he’s a very good horse.”