Belmont Stakes: Everything you wanted to know
Tiz the Law is the heavy early favorite, but that has been a curse in the 21st century. Elsewhere, can trainer Linda Rice make history?
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Tiz the Law, from the eighth spot, is the heavy favorite to win Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. But this is 2020. He’ll probably get lost on his way to the finish line.
Leaving aside the sublime, here are the nuts and bolts for Saturday’s race with some help from horse racing expert Dick Jerardi.
Details, details
When: Saturday, 5:42 p.m. post time.
Where: Belmont Park (Race 10) — Elmont, N.Y.
TV: NBC 3-6 p.m. (FS1 and FS2 have the undercard starting at 11:30 a.m.)
Distance: 1 1/8 miles (shortened from 1 1/2 miles).
Tickets: Forget it. Fans are prohibited.
Our superfectas
Dick Jerardi: 1-Tap It to Win, 8-Tiz the Law, 9-Dr Post, 10-Pneumatic
Ed Barkowitz: 8-Tiz the Law, 3-Max Player, 1-Tap It To Win, 2-Sole Valante
Mike Jensen: 1-Tap It to Win, 8-Tiz the Law, 2-Solo Volante, 4-Modernist
Did you know?
Tiz the Law is the only horse in the field with wins in two Grade I stakes races. He won the Florida Derby in March and the Champagne Stakes (at Belmont) last season.
Eight of the 10 horses ranked in the latest NTRA 3-year-old poll are not running the Belmont. Top-ranked Tiz the Law and No. 5 Sole Volante are the exceptions.
The length of the race has been shortened from the grinding 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/8 miles. The starting gate will be at the top of the backstretch.
Linda Rice, trainer for Max Player (15-1), is the 11th woman to train a Belmont Stakes horse and the first since Kathy Ritvo had Mucho Macho Man run seventh in 2011. The best finish for a woman trainer was in 1988 when Dianne Carpenter’s Kingpost ran a distant second to Risen Star, Secretariat’s son.
The Belmont is always the third leg of the Triple Crown, but the pandemic turned the schedule upside down. The Kentucky Derby will be run Sept. 5 and the Preakness Stakes on Oct. 3.
The betting favorite won 63 of the first 151 Belmont Stakes (41.7 percent). As Smarty Jones fans will attest, only four of the 20 faves this century have finished first (20.0 percent).
Money, Money, Money
The purse is $1 million, down from $1.5 million in 2019. The winner will earn $585,000, second is worth $185,000, followed by third ($100,000), fourth ($65,000), fifth ($40,000), sixth ($30,000), seventh ($25,000) and eighth ($20,000).
Partly cloudy but dry. Temperatures in the 70s.
The Field
1 Tap It to Win (6-1)
Trainer: Mark Casse. Jockey: John Velazquez.
Career Earnings: $124,672.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 2-2-0-0.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 6-3-1-0.
Last three: Allowance, June 4 (1st), Allowance, May 9 (1st), Street Sense Stakes, Oct. 27 (10th).
Dick Jerardi says: Two 2020 races have been brilliant. Trainer Mark Casse goes for a third straight Triple Crown race win.
2 Sole Volante (9-2)
Trainer: Patrick Biancone. Jockey: Luca Panici.
Career Earnings: $293,310.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 4-2-1-1
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 6-4-1-1
Last three: Allowance, June 10 (1st), Tampa Bay Derby, March 7 (2nd), Sam Davis Stakes, Feb. 8 (1st).
Dick Jerardi says: Has never run a poor race in six starts, winning four, with a second and a third. Just raced on June 10.
3 Max Player (15-1)
Trainer: Linda Rice. Jockey: Joel Rosario.
Career Earnings: $173,500
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 1-1-0-0
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 3-2-1-0
Last three: Withers Stakes, Feb. 1 (1st), Maiden, Dec. 17 (1st), Maiden, Nov. 12 (2nd).
Dick Jerardi says: Won the Withers, but has not raced since. Would need major improvement from his best race to win.
4 Modernist (15-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott. Jockey: Junior Alvarado.
Career Earnings: $388,800.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 3-2-0-1.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 5-2-0-2.
Last three: Louisiana Derby, March 21 (3rd), Risen Star Stakes, Feb. 15 (1st), Maiden, Jan. 25 (1st).
Dick Jerardi says: Won Risen Star and then third in the Louisiana Derby, but neither of those traditional Derby preps went quickly.
5 Farmington Road (15-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher. Jockey: Javier Castellano.
Career Earnings: $110,000.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 4-1-1-0.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 6-1-2-0.
Last three: Arkansas Derby, May 2 (4th), Oaklawn Stakes/Black, April 11 (2nd), Risen Star Stakes, Feb. 15 (4th).
Dick Jerardi says: Will be coming from way back in a race that does not figure to have a hot pace. Just one win in six starts.
6 Fore Left (30-1)
Trainer: Doug O’Neill. Jockey: Jose Ortiz.
Career Earnings: $355,902.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 1-1-0-0.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 9-4-0-2.
Last three: UAE Two Thousand Guineas, Feb. 6 (1st), Cecil B. DeMille Stakes, Dec. 1 (10th), Golden Nugget Stakes/Black, Nov. 9 (3rd).
Dick Jerardi says: Late entrant has enough early speed to contest the pace if jockey Jose Ortiz so desires. Not enough talent to win.
7 Jungle Runner (50-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen. Jockey: Reylu Gutierrez.
Career Earnings: $110,415.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 3-0-0-0.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 8-2-0-0.
Last three: Arkansas Derby, May 2 (8th), Mine That Bird Derby, Feb. 23 (5th), Smarty Jones Stakes, Jan. 24 (8th).
Dick Jerardi says: Lost last four races, all stakes, by a combined 77 lengths. A great bet to finish last.
8 Tiz the Law (6-5)
Trainer: Barclay Tagg. Jockey: Manuel Franco.
Career Earnings: $945,300.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 2-2-0-0.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 5-4-0-1.
Last three: Florida Derby, March 28 (1st), Holy Bull Stakes, Feb. 1 (1st), Ky. Jockey Club Stakes, Nov. 30 (3rd).
Dick Jerardi says: Deserved favorite off three major stakes wins. Same owner-trainer combination as Funny Cide. Horse to beat.
9 Dr Post (5-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher. Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Career Earnings: $76,635.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 2-2-0-0.
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 3-2-0-0.
Last three: Unbridled Stakes, April 25 (1st), Maiden, March 29 (1st), Maiden, July 4 (4th).
Dick Jerardi says: Has only raced three times, but his last two races were terrific. A must use in trifectas and superfectas.
10 Pneumatic (8-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen. Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Career Earnings: $101,850.
2020 Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 3-2-0-1
Career Starts-1st-2nd-3rd – 3-2-0-1
Last three: Matt Winn Stakes, May 23 (3rd), Allowance, April 11 (1st), Maiden, Feb. 15 (1st).
Dick Jerardi says: Comes off a solid third behind unbeaten (and now injured) Maxfield.