Derby, Preakness winners at Belmont

Horse racing fans and bettors were pleased in May after the 14 horses who would be racing at the 143rd Belmont Stakes, the most grueling stage of the American Triple Crown, were revealed.

Shackleford, the 2011 winner of the Preakness Stakes, who placed fourth in the Kentucky Derby, will be running alongside Animal Kingdom, the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner. Before the Preakness ended, many racing fans and bettors were unsure of whether either Animal Kingdom or Shackleford would run at Belmont. Bettor favorites Nehro and Mucho Macho Man are also expected to compete.

Graham Motion, Animal Kingdom’s trainer, who hit a 1,000-career-win mark in 2006, when his horse Lucky Bachelor won in the eighth race at the Laurel Park Racecource, won the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2011. Although Animal Kingdom has been through two hard races in a little more than a month — the Derby and Preakness — Motion said he is in great shape. “He seems just as good to me as he did before the Derby. I feel very good about running him on Saturday.”

The 2011 Belmont Stakes, which will take place on Saturday, June 11, will mark the 20th time in Triple Crown history that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners both run at Belmont Park. Of 19 time prior to this year’s race, the winner of the Kentucky Derby winner won the Belmont Stakes on only four occasions, most recently in 1984, by Swale, a horse trained by Woody Stephens. In 2005, Afleet Alex became the ninth horse to win both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

Although many racing experts predict a head-to-head race by Animal Kingdom and Shackleford, horses with low odds of winning have taken the Belmont Stakes title in previous years. Drosselmeyer, the 2010 Belmont Stakes winner, was not predicted by many to win last year, due to his low earnings in previous races, and failure to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. Drosselmeyer finished third in the Louisiana Derby, his only stakes start. Summer Bird, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2009, only had a maiden win on his record. Anything can happen at the Belmont Stakes, which is one of the reasons the race is so exciting.

Although there will be no tension this year to attract national attention by winning the Triple Crown, racing fans are sure to react with anticipation while watching Belmont’s 1.5-mile showdown.

Nehro, who
placed runner-up to Animal Kingdom at the Derby, and came within a length of winning the race, is known for staying in the middle of the pack during races, and making a move at the end. Mucho Macho Man finished third in the Derby and sixth in the Preakness, staying in the middle of the pack during both races. Due to shoe issues during both the Louisiana Derby and the Preakness, Mucho Macho Man is switching to synthetic glue-on shoes for the Belmont Stakes.

Master of Hounds, who was stalked in the Derby — his first dirt race — finished strong, placing fifth. Master of Hounds was sired by Kingmambo, who also sired 1999 Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid. Santiva
 finished sixth in Derby, but gained considerably at the end of the race, finishing only 5.5 lengths behind Animal Kingdom. Stay Thirsty finished 12th in the Derby, but was brushed at the start, and battled for a good position midway through the race.

In addition to the action expected on the track, the 2011 Belmont Stakes will provide several other forms of entertainment for fans: the Godfrey Townsend Band, with special guests Joey Molland of Badfinger and Mitch Ryder of the Detroit Wheels, will headline the slate of live music. “Strolling musicians,” including Buddy Merriam’s Bluegrass Trio, Harvey Schneider’s Dixie-land Trio and the Vocalese Barbershop Quartet, will also be performing.

Place your bets now, and start filling your coolers.