Horse betting experts are bemoaning the fact that, A) the 2016 Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11th will not see a Triple Crown champion and, 2) that there will not be a rubber match between Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist – who came down with fever – and Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator – though how it could have been a rubber match when the former has beaten latter four times in the past has not been explained.
Nevertheless, and in a vacuum, the Test of the Champions is still pretty alluring for people who bet on horses to follow it closely.
Brody’s Cause: Son of Giant’s Causeway. Won both the 2015 Breeders’ Futurity and the 2016 Bluegrass Stakes. Finished in third place behind Nyquist in the Breeders’ Cup in 2015. Finished in seventh place in the Kentucky Derby. Was held out of the Preakness to run the Belmont Stakes. Trained by Dale Romans. Ridden by Luis Saenz.
Cherry Wine: Son of Paddy O’Prado, and one of only two horses to finish ahead of Nyquist – the other being Exaggerator, as horse betting fans are aware of. Also trained by Dale Romans. Ridden by Corey J. Lanerie.
Creator: Son of Tapit. Won the Arkansas Derby by 1 ¼ lengths. Finished in 13th place in the Kentucky Derby. Skipped the Preakness Stakes in favor of the Belmont Stakes. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who has somehow found the time to win over 7,300 races – and he’s still behind Dale Baird. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
Destin: Son of Giant’s Causeway. Finished in 6th place in the Kentucky Derby. Won the Tampa Bay Derby. Trained by two-time Belmont winner Todd Pletcher. Ridden by three-time Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Jockey Javier Castellano. A winning combination for fans who bet on horses.
Exaggerator: Son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. Has made nine graded stakes starts in a row with eight in-the-money finishes. Races best on sloppy, sealed tracks. Won the Santa Anita Derby and the Preakness Stakes, and finished in second place in the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Keith Desormeaux. Ridden by Keith’s brother Kent. When they’re not busy with racing and horse betting and whatnot, the Desormeaux brothers solve supernatural mysteries – or at least I wish they did.
Forever D’Oro: Son of Medaglia d’Oro – Italian for Gold Medal. Has finished 5th at best in two maiden special weight races. Trained by ‘Diamond’ Dallas Stewart. Ridden by Jose Ortiz.
Governor Malibu: Grandson of A.P. Indy. Finished in 2nd place in the Peter Pan Stakes. Trained by Christophe Clement. Ridden by Joel Rosario.
Lani: Won the UAE Derby. Finished 9th in the Kentucky Derby. Finished 5th in the Preakness Stakes. Trained by Mikio Matsunaga. Ridden by Yutaka Take.
Stradivari: Son of Medaglia d’Oro. Finished 4th in the Preakness Stakes. Trained by Todd Pletcher. Ridden by John Velazquez.