Belmont Looks Like 3-Horse Race

The 120th edition of the Belmont Stakes probably will go to post June 11 with its smallest field in 10 years -- a byproduct of both its grueling distance and the strength of its top three contenders.

Ten days before the 1 1/2-mile finale of the American Triple Crown series, the sponsoring New York Racing Assn. was anticipating a seven-horse Belmont field, smallest since Affirmed became the 11th and most recent horse to wear the crown by defeating Alydar and three other badly outdistanced challengers.

That number could go up or down by a horse or two before the June 2 entry deadline, but the final total to enter the gate appears irrelevant.

On paper, the 1988 Belmont shapes up as a three-horse race starring the Kentucky Derby-winning filly Winning Colors, Preakness victor Risen Star and Brian’s Time, the little Roberto colt who made a late rush to take second from Winning Colors in the Preakness. Brian’s Time was sixth in the Derby.

Only one other veteran of both the Derby and Preakness, the Woody Stephens-trained Cefis, was expected to complete the series. Cefis was eighth in the Derby, fifth in the Preakness and goes into the Belmont off a third-place finish in the May 30 Jersey Derby.

Other expected Belmont starters include Granacus, a Canadian-bred who has been idle since finishing 11th in the Kentucky Derby; Kingpost, who was 14th in the Derby and fourth in the May 29 Peter Pan Stakes, and Dynaformer, a newcomer to the Triple Crown series. Trained, like Winning Colors, by D. Wayne Lukas, Dynaformer goes into the Belmont off victory in the Jersey Derby.

Only Winning Colors, Risen Star and Brian’s Time remain in contention for the $1 million Triple Crown Challenge Bonus awarded to the horse with the best overall finish in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Five points are awarded to a horse for victory in any of the races, three for second and one for third. Winning Colors and Risen Star, who was third in the Derby, are tied with six points each, and Brian’s Time has two.

The Stephens-trained Forty Niner, who earned two points finishing a neck behind Winning Colors in the Derby, is being held out of the Belmont. Stephens says the horse is too tired by the results of his controversial decision to send Forty Niner out to challenge the filly on the lead of the Preakness. The colt, champion 2-year-old of 1987, faded badly about a mile into his suicidal mission and finished seventh.

The first two legs of the crown also apparently took their toll on beaten Derby favorite Private Terms, who bled while finishing fourth in the Preakness, and Canadian-bred Regal Classic, who was fifth in the Derby and sixth in the Preakness racing on the anti-bleeding medication Lasix. Such drugs are illegal in New York State.

Shug McGaughey and Lukas cited the distance of the Belmont in ruling out a start for Seeking the Gold and Tejano, who finished 1-2 in the Peter Pan, the traditional New York prep to the Belmont. Stephens decided against entering Digress when he ran fifth in the Peter Pan, and Once Wild, a speedster being pointed to the Belmont, has been sidelined with a hoof injury.

The various defections left Winning Colors, who won the Derby leading wire-to-wire, the only true speed horse in the race. All of the others generally make their moves from off the pace.

That would seem to tip the race in favor of the filly, who will be trying to become the third female to win the Belmont and the first to win two legs of the Triple Crown.

Both she and Risen Star are in position to become the 36th 3-year-old to win two legs of the Crown. Ten horses have won both the Derby and Belmont, and 12 have doubled the Preakness and Belmont.

“The further you go with the speed (horses), the more effective it is, at least if it’s quality speed,” said Lukas’ son and top assistant, Jeff. “We know she can carry the distance.”

But Louie Roussel III, trainer and co-owner of Risen Star, has been anticipating a shortage of speed horses to challenge Winning Colors. The day after the Preakness, he said he would be prepared to send his Secretariat colt after the filly if no one else did.