BELMONT Park stages one of the best races of the season tonight in the Metropolitan Handicap, or the Met Mile.

Code Of Honor boosts the best record but the drop back to the mile is the big question. Last year, as a three-year-old, he won both the Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup at 10 furlongs, the latter by disqualification. The homebred Noble Mission colt did win the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes last year at shorter but needed all of the mile and half a furlong to get to grips with Endorsed in a Grade 3 last time, though he should strip fitter today.

Shug McGaughey said of last year’s Kentucky Derby second: “He’s grown up a lot physically and mentally since last year and I’m pleased with the way he’s doing. There will be some speed in there but (jockey John Velazquez) knows how to ride him. If he gets a decent trip, we’ll have a good chance.”

Bob Baffert’s McKinzie, now five, is the morning line favourite and tries again after a nightmare trip last year when he had to check twice in the stretch but was still closing fastest. He won the seven-furlong Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes last time at Santa Anita.

The George Weaver-trained Vekoma, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes is two from two this year, winning the seven-furlong Sir Shackleford Stakes at Gulfstream Park and romping by seven and a quarter lengths in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap over a sloppy surface at Belmont a month ago. A repeat of that run could be enough here.

Warrior’s Charge, Mr Freeze and Godolphin’s Endorsed, second to Code Of Honor in the Westchester, are all decent performers.

The Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes (11.20pm) on turf has Instilled Regard as favourite and he looks hard to beat on his Grade 2 win here last month where he had today’s rival Devamani in second.

Sadler’s Joy, a son of Kitten’s Joy is rarely out for the first three in the top turf races but you have to go back to 2017 for his last Grade 1 win. Irish-bred Rockemperor (Holy Roman Emperor) could take a placing.

Two of last year’s classic three-year-olds meet in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap with Tactitus favourite over Sir Winston, who beat him in the Belmont Stakes, and the third Joevia also runs here.

Mark Casse’s Grade 1 winner Got Stormy missed the Just A Game last week due to the rain-soaked track and reappears against males in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes. Her form is at a higher level than her rivals, with her toughest competition figured to come from the Todd Pletcher-trained Social Paranoia.

On the west coast Bob Baffert is looking to use the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby as a springboard to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs as the race has 20 qualifying points to the winner. Bob Baffert runs two: runaway maiden winner Uncle Chuck and Thousand Words, the race’s only graded winner.