ELMONT, N.Y. -- With the luster of a run for the Triple Crown gone, the Belmont Stakes still offers an intriguing subplot: Which of five eligible 3-year-olds will win the $1 million bonus for for best overall finish in the series.
There is no clear favorite for the 1 -mile finale at Belmont Park June 8. Rather, there are two early co-favorites: Kentucky Derby winner Strike the Gold, a disappointing sixth in the May 18 Preakness Stakes, and Preakness victor Hansel, an unimpressive 10th in the Derby. They also share the lead for the Triple Crown Challenge bonus with 10 points each.
The bonus was instituted in 1987 to add some zip to the Belmont should there be no chance for a Triple Crown champion.
This year, the bonus has done exactly what's it meant to do. Besides Strike the Gold and Hansel, three other horses are eligible to win all or part of the $1 million: Mane Minister, Corporate Report and Best Pal, although Best Pal may skip the race.
Mane Minister, who was third in the Derby and Preakness, has 6 points; Derby runner-up Best Pal and Preakness place horse Corporate Report have 5 each. More points will be awarded on a 10-5-3-1 basis in the Belmont, and in the event of ties, the $1 million will be split. Depending on whether a non-bonus eligible wins the Belmont, as many as three horses could tie for the money.
And there are plenty of other contenders willing to set the stage for such a tie. As many as 11 other 3-year-olds are being considered for the Belmont, and the field is likely to number at least 12.
Also expected in the field are Green Alligator, Lost Mountain, Quintana, Subordinated Debt, Scan, Another Review and European shippers Smooth Performance and Hokusai. Man Alright and Rega were possibilities a week before the Belmont.
All of which leads to some tough handicapping. Between Strike the Gold and Hansel, which horse will show up June 8, the Triple Crown winner or the Triple Crown disappointment? Will Mane Minister finally finish ahead of the pack? Will Best Pal or the excellent filly Lite Light take part in the final leg of the Triple Crown?
Even with a chance at a million-dollar payday Best Pal trainer Ian Jory may keep his colt in California. Before Jory decides his next move he wants to check the track conditions at Belmont. Best Pal dropped from second in the Kentucky Derby to fifth at the Preakness and Jory blamed part of that performance on a loose track at Pimlico.
Lite Light, owned by rapper M.C. Hammer and his family, won the Kentucky Oaks and may run June 9 against other fillies in the Mother Goose.
Hansel is following the same routine as before the Preakness and was scheduled to arrive from Chicago on May 31. Trainer Frank Brothers sent his horse from Louisville to his stables in Chicago to try and determine why the chestnut colt ran so poorly in the Kentucky Derby.
Unable to come up with a medical malady, Brothers decided to have a go at the Preakness, where Hansel was the class of the field of eight. Brothers has the added concern that his horse will not be able to run on Lasix in New York. Lasix is used to help control bleeding in horses, but the medication is banned in New York.
'I think you might get away with running him without it one time,' Brothers reasoned after the Preakness.
Strike the Gold jockey Chris Antley was quietly criticized for his Preakness trip. Some, including trainer Nick Zito, think the Alydar colt needs one clear run as he had in the Kentucky Derby when he raced to victory from the far outside.
Zito felt Antley was 'too busy' during the early stages of the Preakness and thus unable to put Strike the Gold in position to win.
'I should have emphasized to (Antley) don't take him out of his game plan even if you have to drop back 30 lengths to give him a clear run,' Zito said after the Preakness. 'We never got to see Strike the Gold run.'
Zito, a New Yorker, thinks his horse will make a good run in the Belmont.
'Nobody gets in trouble at the Belmont,' he said. 'He'll have a clear shot where he can redeem himself. We've got a big chance to win the $1 million bonus and two legs of the Triple Crown. There's a lot riding on Belmont.'
The distance may well be the telling factor. For 3-year-olds, 1 miles is uncharted territory. Mane Minister has been the most consistent of the Triple Crown runners, but there is no guarantee he can hold up for the ride.
'He's doing fine,' Mane Minister exercise rider Sal Gonzalez said. 'He's got a nice, long, smooth stride, but a mile and a half? I guess that's the question for all the horses.'NEWLN: Advance weekend, June 1-2
