The Grade 1 $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes

The third and final jewel of the Triple Crown for 2010 will feature neither of the winners of the first two legs of the series. Super Saver, the Derby winner, and Lookin At Lucky, the Preakness winner, both elected to pass on "The Test Of Champions" and will instead look to run another day. However, just because there is an absence of actual "champions" doesn't mean that the 142nd Belmont Stakes is not going to be a rip-roaring affair. There is a very competitive field of twelve runners going postward on Saturday and betting opportunities abound with only three in the field listed at less than 10-1. Here is the analysis for the Grade 1 $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes:

Everyone will be all over #6 Ice Box in the Belmont tomorrow off of his unbelievable run in the Kentucky Derby, when he suffered compound problems and stoppages and still managed to run second to Super Saver. Well, I think he is bound for second again because I am picking #4 Make Music For Me on top. Make Music For Me also did not have an easy time of it on Derby Day. The trip notes in the past performances listed him as being 8-wide and pinched back. I remember recognizing his silks in the stretch and saying, "what is that horse doing there?" in the stretch of the Derby. The answer is he belonged there because he ran that good of a race. He will be forward of Ice Box and I think he might get the jump on him. I see him running a very similar race to the one Summer Bird ran last year when he won the Belmont Stakes. Ice Box is the second choice mainly because he comes from so deep out of a race, I am just not sure he will be able to get there in the Belmont. Rarely does a horse win the Belmont coming from so far back. I know he flew past everyone (including Make Music For Me) in the stretch of the Derby, but his price at 3-1 is another deterrent to my picking him on Saturday. The top two finishers in the Dwyer will round out my top four with the winner, #5 Fly Down, in the third spot and the runner-up, # 7 Drosselmeyer, in fourth. Fly Down continued to pull away from Drosselmeyer in the stretch of the Dwyer, eventually winning by six lengths. Drosselmeyer has been battling nagging foot issues, but the connections must think he is over them to run him in here. Here is the play for the 142nd Belmont Stakes:

$10 WIN #4
$1 EX BOX 4-5-6-7-10
$1 TRI 4-6 with 4-5-6-7-10 with 4-5-6-7-10
TOTAL- $54

As always, these are merely suggestions. They Are Off accepts no responsibility for any wagers placed in conjunction with these selections. Tune in Monday for more from They Are Off. For right now, I am Gone... GOODBYE!