BELMONT CAPSULES

1. NOLAN’S CAT (50-1)

Owner: Ken and Sarah Ramsey. Trainer: Dale Romans. Jockey: Norberto Arroyo, Jr.

Record: 5-0-3-1. Earnings: $26,450. Sire: Catienus. Dam: Single Goer.

Comment: Romans has been on fire at Churchill Downs, where he leads the trainer standings, but is reaching with his maiden.... The horse has improved as the distances have increased, most recently finishing second to A.P. Arrow at 1 1/4 miles.... No rider has been aboard this colt more than once and Arroyo becomes his sixth jockey.... Nolan Cat’s dam is a daughter of the late Easy Goer, who thwarted Sunday Silence’s bid for a Triple Crown in the 1989 Belmont.

2. PINPOINT (20-1)

Owner: A.B. Hancock III. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: John Velazquez.

Record: 4-3-0-0. Earnings: $113,291. Sire: Peaks And Valleys. Dam: Identify.

Comment: Since finishing last, 22 3/4 lengths behind in his sprint debut Feb. 12 at Gulfstream Park, he has won three in a row, including the Sir Barton at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard.... Velazquez will be the fourth jockey for the homebred.... Pinpoint’s last two victories have been wire to wire, so expect him to be part of the pace.

3. A.P. ARROW (20-1)

Owner: Allen Paulson Living Trust. Trainer: Wayne Lukas. Jockey: Jerry Bailey.

Record: 3-1-1-0. Earnings: $39,025. Sire: A.P. Indy. Dam: Garimpeiro.

Comment: With Going Wild off the Triple Crown trail, this good-looking colt is the Lukas representative.... Has only a maiden victory to his credit, but has the pedigree to be topnotch. His half-brother, Geri, was a multiple graded stakes winner who could handle turf and dirt.... In his only other graded appearance in a graded stakes, A.P. Arrow was ninth of 11 in the Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

4. SOUTHERN AFRICA (12-1)

Owner: Al and Sandee Kirkwood. Trainer: Mike Puhich. Jockey: Jon Court.

Record: 9-4-2-0. Earnings: $400,070. Sire: Cape Town. Dam: Al Fahda.

Comment: Belmont Park will be the fifth track he has run at since he arrived in the U.S. last year.... No better than fourth in three races in California, he won the Borderland Derby and was second in the WinStar Derby at Sunland Park in New Mexico, then won the Lone Star Derby in Texas.... Won two of three on the grass in England while racing for trainer Gerard Butler.

5. GIACOMO (4-1)

Owner: Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss. Trainer: John Shirreffs. Jockey: Mike Smith.

Record: 9-2-2-3. Earnings: $1,966,316. Sire: Holy Bull. Dam: Set Them Free.

Comment: Became only the third Kentucky Derby winner since 1997 not to win the Preakness, joining Fusaichi Pegasus (2000) and Monarchos (2001).... He finished nearly 10 lengths behind a horse that almost fell at the top of the stretch.... The 1 1/2 -mile distance should be right up his alley.... The last 3-year-old to win the Derby, fail in the Preakness, then win the Belmont was Thunder Gulch in 1995.

6. WATCHMON (50-1)

Owner: Paul Pompa, Jr. Trainer: Patrick Reynolds. Jockey: Javier Castellano.

Record: 6-1-2-1. Earnings: $47,560. Sire: Maria’s Mon. Dam: Watchfull.

Comment: Scored his only victory against maidens going 1 7/16 miles and his handling of that trip is why he’s running in a graded stakes for the first time.... Castellano will be aboard the gray for the first time.... In his only race at the track, Watchmon was second, five lengths behind First Word, an improving 3-year-old son of Chester House trained by Bobby Frankel.

7. ANDROMEDA’S HERO (15-1)

Owner: Robert V. LaPenta. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Rafael Bejarano.

Record: 7-2-0-3. Earnings: $180,270. Sire: Fusaichi Pegasus. Dam: Marozia.

Comment: Finished behind stablemate Bellamy Road and ahead of stablemates Sun King and Noble Causeway in the Kentucky Derby, then skipped the Preakness.... Zito says 1 1/2 miles will help the chestnut, who has yet to win outside Florida, breaking his maiden at Calder, then winning the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs.

8. REVERBERATE (6-1)

Owner: Centennial Farms: Trainer: Sal Russo. Jockey: Jose Santos.

Record: 8-2-2-2. Earnings: $113,935. Sire: Thunder Gulch. Dam: Peggibonsi.

Comment: One of only two in the field with a victory at Belmont and this consistent colt has two wins there.... He broke his maiden going 6 1/2 furlongs Sept. 11, then won a $45,080 allowance by 2 1/2 lengths May 8.... In his two graded stakes, he was fifth in the Nashua last fall at Aqueduct, then was second to Oratory in the Peter Pan.... .Santos won the 1999 Belmont with longshot Lemon Drop Kid.

9. AFLEET ALEX (6-5)

Owner: Cash Is King LLC. Trainer: Tim Ritchey. Jockey: Jeremy Rose.

Record: 11-7-2-1. Earnings: $2,165,800. Sire: Northern Afleet. Dam: Maggy Hawk.

Comment: The Preakness winner will be favored and deservedly so, considering he has been worse than third only once..... The question is the distance, but there were those who believed he would have trouble with the trip in both the Derby and the Preakness and he did just fine.... He has lost as the favorite at Belmont, finishing second at 6-5 in the Champagne Oct. 9, losing by three-quarters of a length to Proud Accolade.

10. INDY STORM (20-1)

Owner: Tracy Farmer. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Edgar Prado.

Record: 7-2-0-0. Earnings: $40,964. Sire: A.P. Indy. Dam: Unbridled Wind.

Comment: Zito and Prado teamed to win the Belmont with a longshot, Birdstone, last year, but a win by this colt would be an even bigger surprise.... Won an allowance race by two lengths in the second race at Pimlico on Preakness day.... Finished last in the Louisiana Derby in his only other start in a graded stakes.

11. CHEKHOV (12-1)

Owner: Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. Trainer: Patrick Biancone. Jockey: Gary Stevens.

Record: 5-1-1-1. Earnings: $53,966. Sire: Pulpit. Dam: In My Cap.

Comment: The $3.3-million 2-year-old purchase has been more hype than performance....His only win was against five opponents in a Belmont Park maiden race May 8.... He finished a distant fourth in the Peter Pan, more than 12 lengths behind impressive winner Oratory.... Stevens has won the Belmont with Thunder Gulch in 1995, Victory Gallop in ‘98, and Point Given in 2001.