Several of the Belmont favorites are missing from today’s race. (Getty)
It has been a wild few months in horse racing. Each of the Triple Crown races has been met with uncertainty with no horse emerging as a heavy favorite. The Belmont is no different with the top two contenders scratched from the race.
Classic Empire pulled out of the the race earlier this week with a foot abscess. There was a lot of buzz around the Japanese horse Epicharis. The horse battled lameness earlier in the week, but was expected to try to run in the Belmont.
Epicharis was scratched earlier this morning. All this has Irish War Cry as the slight favorite heading into the race.
The Belmont is the longest Triple Crown race at a mile and a half. This means you are looking for a horse with a combination of speed and stamina.
According to TCI, there are a few horses who score well in both the Dosage Index and Tomlinson numbers. Epicharis and Twisted Tom were the top two horses based on these metrics leaving Twisted Tom all alone with Epicharis’ late scratch.
Lookin at Lee is a tempting pick given the horse’s proven track record. Lookin at Lee is the only horse in the field who will run in all three Triple Crown races. However, the horse is facing a field that comes in rested, and can see Lookin at Lee running out of steam given the length of today’s race. We still like Lookin at Lee to place as the horse did in the Kentucky Derby.
We’re riding Chad Brown’s hot streak, and like Twisted Tom to get it done at the Belmont.
Here’s a look at the updated odds after Epicharis was scratched courtesy of TVG.
| POS. | HORSE | ODDS |
| 1. | Twisted Tom | 7-1 |
| 2. | Tapwrit | 5-1 |
| 3. | Gormley | 9-1 |
| 4. | J Boys Echo | 10-1 |
| 5. | Hollywood Handsome | 18-1 |
| 6. | Lookin at Lee | 5-1 |
| 7. | Irish War Cry | 4-1 |
| 8. | Senior Investment | 6-1 |
| 9. | Meantime | 14-1 |
| 10. | Multiplier | 15-1 |
| 11. | Epicharis | SCR |
| 12. | Patch | 11-1 |
Heavy’s Trifecta Pick: 1. Twisted Tom 2. Senior Investment 3. Lookin at Lee
