American Pharoah has definitely made his mark this year by dominating each of the first two legs of the Triple Crown. With that said, it’s no wonder that the colt is once again a heavy favorite to win the 2015 Belmont Stakes. But as we all know, sweeping the Triple Crown is a rare feat that even the best horses of recent years have failed to accomplish. So if it’s not American Pharoah, then which sleeper, long shot, or dark horse has the “it” to win it?
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2015 Belmont Stakes Preview
Mubtaahij
[sc:horses240banner ]Mubtaahij is not ready to go home yet. After placing eighth in this year’s Kentucky Derby, the original plan for Mubtaahij was to skip the next two legs of the Triple Crown to prepare for next year’s Emirates Dubai World Cup (UAE-I). But this horse apparently don’t want to go back to Dubai without giving another Triple Crown race a try. After some time of pondering, trainer Mike de Kock and his team decided to enter Mubtaahij’s name onto the list of competitors in hopes of a better finish than in the Derby.
In an interview with bloodhorse.com, de Kock expressed his confidence that Mubtaahij will do just that, saying “the Belmont suits us best.” Mubtaahij, who is priced +1,600 to win the Belmont Stakes, has dominated the competition in UAE before landing on American shores. Since January, Mubtaahij has competed in five races in the Middle East, winning four times and coming in second in the other.
Tale of Verve
Tale of Verve (+2,000) was to Preakness Stakes as to what Firing Line was to the Derby—a sleeper who gave American Pharoah a stiff challenge in the early goings of the race before finishing second. Despite coming up short at the Pimlico Race Course, Tale of Verve remains one tasty sleeper pick to win the upcoming Belmont Stakes. For one, Tale of Verve is a long-distance runner, whose ability suits the 1.5-mile long Belmont Park. “He’s got more stamina [than American Pharoah]”, owner Charles Fipke said of his horse after the Preakness Stakes. Tale of Verve “is bred to go a mile and a half. American Pharoah is bred to go a mile and a quarter”, Fipke boldly adds. The recent Preakness Stakes was Tale of Verve’s first graded stakes race. Prior to that, the three-year-old colt finished first in a maiden special weight race at the Keeneland on April 23.
Carpe Diem
Carpe Diem (+1,000) entered the Kentucky Derby on the heels of back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay stakes (March) and in the Grade 1 Blue Grass stakes (April). All that momentum, however, only made Carpe Diem’s 10th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby a colossal disappointment for Todd Pletcher’s colt. Carpe Diem skipped the Preakness Stakes to focus on the Belmont Stakes, which Pletcher has won two times before. The most recent was in 2013, when Palace Malice finished first in the third leg of the Triple Crown.
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