What if Maximum Security wasn’t called for interference in the Kentucky Derby and went on to win the Preakness Stakes?
What if Maximum Security didn’t alter the path of War Of Will, and War Of Will went on to win the race?
Instead of a potential Triple Crown, we’re left with a Belmont Stakes field of 10 horses lacking in excitement. Nevertheless, handicappers will be handicappers, and winning tickets will be cashed once the race is declared “official.”
A Look At The Field
If you’re wagering on the basis of pedigree, the three offspring of Tapit (who has sired three Belmont winners since 2014) deserve strong consideration: Tacitus, Intrepid Heart and Bourbon War. Tactius will be the odds-on favorite, and therefore not an enticing wager.
The likely second favorite, Preakness-winner War of Will, may not get the dream trip he received in Baltimore. He may also be dealing with some fatigue, due to his competing in both previous Triple Crown contests.
The other two colts sired by Tapit, Intrepid Heart and Bourbon War, have attractive odds. However, Bourbon War finished an unimpressive eighth in the Preakness. Intrepid Heart is a newcomer, and if he hadn’t stumbled in the main Belmont Stakes prep (the Peter Pan Stakes), he might have won the race as he rallied to finish third. Although neither of these two are my choice to win the race, they will be included in my perfecta and trifecta wagers.
Another Peter Pan participant that will garner attractive odds is Sir Winston, who will be ridden by top-notch jockey Joel Rosario. Interestingly, Rosario abandoned his mount on Everfast to ride the colt who has yet to score a victory on conventional dirt.
The Pick
My pick is Everfast, the selection of whom is a mixture of tactical and sentimental inclinations. From the tactical angle, he rallied to an impressive second-place finish in the Preakness Stakes. Perhaps a longer race will bode well for the colt, as he will be able to show his late speed in the stretch.
From the sentimental angle, only a true horse racing fan can relate to the anguish experienced by Luis Saez, the jockey of Maximum Security, as his colt was rightfully stripped of his Kentucky Derby victory. In my opinion, the horse caused the interference, not the jockey. To charge a 100-pound man with controlling a 1,000-pound animal at almost 40 miles per hour on a sloppy track with a boisterous crowd is a daunting task.
Unfortunately, the jockey, the horse, the owners and the trainer had to suffer the consequences.
With revenge as his agenda, Saez will be the most determined jockey in the race as he attempts to ease the pain of being disqualified in the Derby and denied the chance at the Triple Crown. If the race turns to be a snoozer, worldwide handicappers that also have skin in the trading and investment world can look forward to the first ever Benzinga Trading Summit in New York City on June 20.
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