With no Barbaro and no Bernardini, this year's Belmont Stakes has lost a little luster. However, what the race does have are 12 evenly-matched horses. When a Triple Crown is on the line, the Belmont is kind of a weird race. Everyone, including the other riders, is focused on that one horse. The race isn't so truly run. Today, however, the Belmont (PDF of past performances) will be run just like any other mile and a half contest.

One common misconception about the Belmont is that it's won by come-from-behind horses. Actually, Belmonts are ususally won by horses with a little natural speed who can relax mid-pack for the first mile and then turn it on for the final half mile.

Bluegrass Cat, second in the Kentucky Derby, is the favorite today and he does have the right running style. Steppenwolfer and Jazil are the only deep closers that did anything in the Derby, but I think they'll be way too far back today to make any input. I think the race will come down to a duel between two good stalkers: Sunriver and Bob And John. Sunriver won't Belmont's Peter Pan Stakes in his last start, while Bob And John was jostled around in the rough Kentucky Derby. It's really hard to choose between these two, so for me it comes down to breeding. Bob And John is a son of the excellent sire Seeking The Gold and is out of the nice mare Minister's Melody. He's a blue blood bred for the distance. The Belmont is commonly referred to as the "Test of Champions. I don't think Bob And John is championship material, but he is my pick for today.