Always Dreaming won the 2017 Kentucky Derby as a 9/2 favorite and Cloud Computing came through with the upset victory in the Preakness Stakes at 12/1 odds but neither of these three-year old thoroughbreds is in the field for this Saturday's Belmont Stakes to create a wide open battle for the third and final leg of this year's Triple Crown racing season.
Classic Empire would have probably been set as the early favorite to win this year's Belmont Stakes, but he was a late scratch right before the post positions were announced with a foot issue. I actually had him penciled in as my top pick to win following his second-place finish in the Preakness.
That leaves 12 entries to compete at Belmont Park in Saturday's main event with Irish War Cry listed as a 7/2 favorite on the morning line. Epicharis will be making his Triple Crown racing series debut as a 4/1 second-favorite and the opening betting odds for Lookin At Lee are 5/1 as the only three-year old in the field to run in the first two races. He took second at Churchill in the Kentucky Derby before finishing fourth at Pimlico in the Preakness.
Irish War Cry closed as a 9/2 co-favorite along with Always Dreaming to win this year's Kentucky Derby, but following a strong start he faded to 10th in the crowded field of 20. Trainer H. Graham Motion held this New Jersey-bred colt out of the Preakness to train for the added distance of this Saturday's 1 1/2 miles run on the dirt at Belmont with jockey Rajiv Maragh getting the ride. I went with Irish War Cry as my top pick to win the Kentucky Derby and with Classic Empire along with Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing out of the way in the Belmont Stakes, I honestly believe that this is his race to lose.
My official trifecta pick for Saturday's Belmont Stakes can be found at the link below in this week's horse racing report for SBR Picks.
LINK: With Classic Empire Out Of The Belmont Stakes, Who's the Favorite?
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