We are just less than two weeks away from seeing another chapter of the Triple Crown conclude at the Belmont Stakes. Will Justify be the second horse to sweep the Triple Crown since 2015? Or will another horse top the event this coming June 9? Read on for our succinct overview of some of the key sleepers in the 150th run of the prestigious race.
Justify is undeniably the betting favorite right now ahead of the Belmont Stakes, as he’s won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. But there are some doubting Justify’s stamina after having to compete in five races this year. If that’s the case, then horses like Bravazo could pull the rug underneath Justify. Take for example Bravazo. Bravazo competed in the Derby and placed sixth but bounced back strong at Pimlico by chasing the tail of Justify for a second-place finish. Bravazo has raced 10 times, finishing out of the top three four times. The other six times, he went third once, second, twice, and first thrice. Bravazo is also trained by D. Wayne Lukas, whose guided four horses into Belmont Stakes wins in 1194, 1995, 1996, and 2000.
Named after the hard-partying New England Patriots tight end, three-year-old colt Gronkowski is looking to cash in at the Belmont Stakes. Gronkowski did not race at both the Kentucky Derby and at the Preakness Stakes, and while he did not race in those events, he has some fantastic winning streak going for him. See, Gronkowski has not lost in any of his past four races. That stretch includes his win at the Burradon Stakes last March and at the Conditional Stakes earlier in the same month. The Bill Belichick to Gronkowski is Chad Brown, whose horses have finished first in 80 of 262 starts this year. He was given the honor of Outstanding Trainer by the Eclipse Award, known as the Oscars of horseracing, in 2016.Here’s what Brown had to say about Gronkowski ahead of the Belmont Stakes, per Paulick Report:
“It takes a special horse to get there, and based on what I saw today, he looked good out there,” he added. “I’m excited to see what he does next weekend. He came to me in outstanding condition. He’s a very sound and easy to transition into what we’re doing here. The horse is smart and all class, he has [the] true signs of a really good racehorse.”
Noble Indy was among the sleeper favorites ahead of the Kentucky Derby as he has not finished outside of the top three in any of his four career races prior to the first leg of the Triple Crown. However, he bombed out at Churchill Downs, where Noble Indy finished just 17th in the race. Noble Indy got some attention when he finished first at the Louisiana Derby Grade 2 stakes back in March. Noble Indy is being trained by one of the best in the business in Todd Pletcher, who has five Triple Crown event wins under his belt, including three Belmont Stakes victories, the last being last year when he trained third-leg winner Tapwrit.
