Belmont Buzz

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DULLAHAN: Photo Credit - NYRA, Adam Coglianese

It's one of those opinionated days....

I can't imagine having four weeks between these classic races, can you?

Dullahan sure seems to me to be the major threat, but Paynter would make an interesting story-line with the same connections as Bodemeister, who bailed after the first two legs.  Will Bode be outdone by his stable-mate?

Sick of hearing if I'll Have Another wasn't around, Bode would be looking at a Triple Crown possibility himself.  Yeah, and if the queen had balls, she'd be king.

Have to take a closer look at Street Life...

Friday's card is ho-hum. The only thing really worth paying attention to his Mario Gutierrez' four mounts. He picks up two for Mark Henning, one for Wesley Ward and rides Boxeur des Rues for owner Paul Reddam in the Brooklyn, going 1 1/2-miles.

I wish the post draw was earlier in the week (Monday or Tuesday), having to wait until Wednesday night for PP's is kind of a drag.

If it sounds like I'm complaining I'm not. I'm pretty damn excited to see a chance at history, call it a Belmont Buzz. The last time we had a Triple Crown attempt, Big B's effort just wasn't all that. Other than the moments when they were loading into the gate and the thunderous roar of the crowd at the break (very scintillating), the race itself was a dud. Would love to see a stretch deal with IHA and anyone (hopefully Dullahan or Paynter) that would be a race for the ages...

Will be rolling onto Long Island mid-card Friday and staying for a few races. Work starts on Saturday, we'll be starting a live blog around 3:00 p.m. as the late Pick-4 gets rolling at the TBN Sports, Ink blog site and will have post race commentary duties for Sunday's print edition.

Switching gears up the Queen Elizabeth Way, the Woodbine Oaks was a bit of a surprise with Irish Mission getting it done at a nice price. My pick, Northern Passion, came in second. I'm glad the nice folks up at Woodbine are including me in their "expert" picks sections and am always invited up to their big events. Looking forward to this year's Queen's Plate, which will be my first.

Still punching myself in the face for leaving It's Tricky off my Met Mile late Pick-4 tickets. What was I thinking?

I have to say my non-racing friends are really pumped for this race. It has come up constantly over the past two weeks and the thirst for education/knowledge about the race has been encouraging, to say the least. If we could corner even 10% of these casual fans it would be a win for the sport and the game.

There will be a ThoroFan meet-up in the paddock area on Saturday at 2 p.m. for those interested in meeting some of the Board members and learn more about the operation. There are now nine chapters that have been started across the country, the most recent two being Michigan and New York City.