Columnist Ralph Siraco: Belmont may be more than 2-horse duel

Ralph Siraco

Monday, June 4, 2001 | 10:16 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 2275 Corporate Circle Drive, Suite #300, Henderson, NV 89014.

Although NBC television -- racing's new Triple Crown network -- has been promoting Saturday's Belmont Stakes as a rubber match between Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos and Preakness Stakes winner Point Given, the third jewel of the spring classics is anything but a two-horse race.

In fact, it looks as if the longest Triple Crown race will have nine sophomores traveling Belmont Park's 1 1/2-mile oval for the final million dollar purse of the three seven-figure races.

So, as the final race of this year's Triple Crown tips off about the same time the Los Angeles Lakers have banked a pair of victories over the 76ers in their championship run, one might forgive the peacock network for downsizing the Belmont Stakes to a pair of potential equine champions of its own.

Of the fine nine that will take the Elmont gallop, seven made the Louisville cavalry charge in the Kentucky Derby. Four of those punched both slots on the Triple Crown dance card, while the other three passed the Preakness Stakes in favor of a punchbowl break for a five-week freshener.

Of course, the two marquee runners of the fearsome foursome are Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, who finished a dismal sixth in the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, and Preakness Stakes winner Point Given, who wound up fifth as the Derby favorite.

The respective connections of each jewel winner have cited the racing surfaces as primary reasons for the unexplainable performances that prevented both Monarchos and Point Given of a good, old fashioned, stride-for-stride Alydar-Affirmed, Sunday Silence-Easy Goer or a Real Quiet-Victory Gallop rivalry.

So, unless the racing surface at Belmont Park becomes a factor for either or both of the Derby and Preakness winners, NBC may have hit the nail on the promotional head for the third meeting of the split winners in this year's Triple Crown.

But, what about the others?

A.P. Valentine finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby after encountering more than his share of bad racing luck in Louisville. The official chart of the race accounts the Nick Zito trainee of being bumped hard at the half-mile marker, checked from between foes and shuffled back before he rallied to beat more than half of the 17-horse field.

With new rider Victor Espinoza up, the Rick Pitino-owned son of A.P. Indy bounced back and finished a solid runner-up in the Preakness Stakes. Trainer Zito has been champing at the bit to run his pupil over a track that A.P. Valentine is a perfect 2-for-2. That includes a freshman victory in the Grade I Champagne last October.

While A.P. Valentine experienced unusual trouble in the Derby, the trips from hell are a way of life for rival Dollar Bill. After a sophomore debut victory in the Risen Star Stakes at the Fairgrounds in February, Dollar Bill has been knocked down to his knees while fourth in the Louisiana Derby, almost unseated jockey Pat Day during the running of the Kentucky Derby while merely surviving to finish 15th and then was steadied at the 5/8th pole, checked on the far turn and swept nine-wide in the stretch to finish fourth in the Preakness Stakes.

Despite his rough trips, trainer Dallas Stewart -- making his first start as a trainer in the Belmont Stakes -- says his trainee has come out of those races in great shape and racing's newest 8,000-career victory man, Pat Day, continues to have high confidence in his Triple Crown pick. He certainly represents the due factor.

Of the trio that passed the Preakness after their Derby runs, it seems that Balto Star has enjoyed the rest the most. After gate-to-wire victories in the Spiral Stakes and Arkansas Derby, the Todd Pletcher-trainee suffered heat exhaustion in the Kentucky Derby while attending the fastest half-mile clocking in Derby history before collapsing to finish 14th. The son of Glitterman had lost considerable weight from the campaign and has regained his flesh now.

Jockey Chris McCarron, who has earned more money than any other rider in history, will be Balto Star's new partner in New York.

Like the Derby, Pletcher will start a pair in the Belmont. As with stablemate Balto Star, Derby runner-up Invisible Ink skipped the Preakness and is ready to prove his overlay odds in the Derby were an aberration. Third in the Florida Derby to Monarchos, the son of 1995 Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch finished second in Louisville at odds of 55 to 1. Although he should enjoy the extra real estate of the Belmont distance, the double-digit ink will be invisible this time around.

Then there is Thunder Blitz, who finished fourth in the Derby. The son of Holy Bull was pushed into action when his Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Eclipse Award-winning stablemate Macho Uno dropped off the Triple Crown trail.

The Stronach Stables color-bearer earned his Derby berth by winning the Flamingo Stakes in Florida. The schedule stress, however, took its toll and trainer Joe Orseno passed the Preakness to freshen his trainee for the demanding Belmont Stakes task. Orseno reports that Thunder Blitz has put on 40 pounds since the Derby and is going into the race in good shape.

A pair of new shooters jump into the Triple Crown fray without the Derby or Preakness experience.

Buckle Down Ben is the vehicle that returns D. Wayne Lukas to the Triple Crown. The Hall of Fame conditioner failed to keep a 20-year Kentucky Derby streak going when he didn't have a starter in the Run for the Roses this year. Passing on the Preakness as well, Buckle Down Ben was a private purchase by Lukas client Michael Tabor early this year.

After finishing up the track in the March 24 Spiral Stakes, the son of Devil His Due didn't return to action until the Memorial Day weekend with a useful allowance race victory at Churchill Downs. Lukas thinks this guy can run all day, and will have a chance to prove it in the marathon Belmont Stakes.

Dr. Greenfield is the mystery horse of this Belmont renewal. This Irish-bred horse will arrive in the U.S. long enough to clear quarantine before taking the track on Saturday. Owned by Team Valor, Dr. Greenfield has won three of his four lifetime starts and has a victory over a dirt oval in England. His connections are excited about their long shot chances.

While Point Given continues to train well at Churchill Downs -- with an expected final workout this morning -- Monarchos has been taking it rather easy leading up to the rematch.

Trainer John Ward feels a light training schedule will have his horse in peak form for Saturday's showdown and expects the Derby winner to be fresh for the competition. Trainer Bob Baffert reports that the Preakness Stakes winner has been thriving and has also gained some lost flesh from the campaign. Just before the Santa Anita Derby in early April, the son of Thunder Gulch weighed 1,256 pounds and now tips the scale at 1,270 pounds. He continues to impress railbirds.

They say the luckiest horse wins the Kentucky Derby, the quickest one wins the Preakness Stakes and the best one wins the Belmont Stakes. At the demanding marathon distance, the third jewel of the Triple Crown lives up to it's slogan of "The Test of Champions."

It is also a fallacy that the stretch runners are more likely to win the race because it is the longest distance of the three classics. Steady gallopers and horses who can stay close to what is usually a methodical pace are the profile of many Belmont victors.

So, the "on paper" advantage seems to lie with Point Given for this 133rd edition.

Whether the NBC promos prove to be prophetic will be answered on Saturday in New York. Weather and track conditions permitting, of course.

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