THE ‘original’ Kentucky Derby favourite Forte and the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure head a field of nine three-year-olds for the $1.5 million Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at 12 midnight tonight.

Forte (from stall 6) was installed as the 5/2 morning line favourite over National Treasure (stall 4) at 5/1 on the morning line.

The 2022 two-year-old champion Forte was scratched the morning of the opening leg of the Triple Crown due to a foot he had bruised a few days before.

He has not raced since winning the April 1st Florida Derby where he came home lengths in front of the subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Mage.

Todd Pletcher said this week about the son of Violence. “I’m pretty confident his fitness is very good.”

Co-owner Mile Repole was predictably confident about the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner. “We still think this is the best three-year-old in the crop and I think on Saturday he’s going to prove that.”

The longer than usual absence and doubts on his stamina are the issues for the favourite. In a short career his sire Violence only ran as far as a mile and half a furlong.

Todd Pletcher will also send out the second choice in Tapit Trice (2) who was seventh in the Kentucky Derby, over seven lengths behind third placed Angel Of Empire.

Similiar pattern

Pletcher followed a similiar pattern with four previous Belmont winners (Rags To Riches, Palace Malice, Tapwrit and Mo Donegal last year) missing out the Preakness and waiting five weeks for Belmont.

But the colt was all out to win the Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland and has just looked a shade slow so the extra distance should suit him – with Pletcher saying as much this week.

“He’s got a big, long stride on him and if he we can get him into a good rhythm, I think he’s going to like the mile and a half,” Pletcher said.

The plus is that Tapit is responsible for four Belmont winners in Essential Quality, Tapwrit, Creator and Tonalist while Frosted was second to champion American Pharoah.

Angel Of Empire (stall 8, 7/2 morning line), was sent off as the favourite in the Derby and returns following a third-place finish for trainer Brad Cox, who also runs Hit Show and outsider Tapit Shoes.

Hit Show won the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in February and was fifth in the Kentucky Derby.

Tapit Shoes has not run since finishing second to fellow Belmont starter Red Route One in the Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park in April and is a half-brother to Cox’s multiple grade 1 winner Cyberknife.

Red Route One is a possible place getter as a son of Gun Runner trained by Steve Asmussen. He comes into the Belmont off a fourth-place finish behind National Treasure in the slow-paced Preakness.

The field includes Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes winner Arcangelo and winner of a claimer, the outsider Il Miracolo.

Mage’s Kentucky Derby win boosted Forte’s already excellent form but the break is a concern.

Strange race

Angel Of Empire ran a strange race in Kentucky. Well placed just off the pace and on the outside early on, he lost his place mid-race, was switched inside and then had to be pulled out wide again in the straight to challenge, by which time the first and second had gone three lengths clear. He cut that margin to a length and a half by the line. He should get a good position from stall 8 and can take victory. this time.

SELECTION: Angel Of Empire

Next Best: Forte

Rest of Card

THE under card at Belmont features no less than five other Grade 1 races.

The Grade 2 True North Stakes over six and a half furlongs has Elite Power as the standout.

The five-year-old returns from a win in the Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racecourse last time out in February.

He is on a run of six consecutive wins, including the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint last autumn and this looks an easy task with Godolphin’s Strobe, the second best.

The Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes at 8.02pm is another great female match up between multiple Grade 1 winners Secret Oath and Clairiere.

Secret Oath had looked the winner of the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn last time out before Clairiere grabbed her in the final strides to win by a neck. She had beaten Clairiere in the Azeri Stakes at that track earlier.

Both Secret Oath (5th) and Grade 1 winner Search Results (6th) were also behind the Asmussen mare when she finished third in the three-way photo in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last November.

The five-year-old Played Hard also comes into it as she beat Secret Oath a neck with Search Results third in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchil Downs.

Clairiere took last year’s Ogden Phipps, earning a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

She is sure to be fighting on at the finish but if Secret Oath can delay her run a fraction, she might hold on this time in what promises to be a quality race.

Deep field

The Woody Stephens for three-year-olds has a deep field of 13. The Baffert duo of Arabian Lion, impressive in Pimlico, and Fort Bragg head the market with Shug McGaughey’s Grade 2 Pat Day Mile winner General Jim. General Jim’s later racing style should suit this track.

The six-furlong Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes has another big field of 14 with the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel among the favourites over fellow Grade 1 winner Casa Creed who returns to the track after a second in Saudi Arabia in February.

That Bill Mott-trained seven-year-old is looking to become the first three-time winner of the Jaipur but Caravel, winner of her two races this season, should have his measure.

The Metropolitan Handicap, the Met’ Mile, is a worthy curtain raiser to the big race with the presence of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody’s Wish.

Chad Brown’s Blue Grass and 2022 Kentucky Derby third Zandon represents the biggest threat, though he has yet to win since Keeneland last April, he has kept top company. He was well beaten by today’s rival Repo Rocks in a Grade 3 at Belmont last time.

Cody’s Wish looked better than ever in winning the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes making it eight wins from his last nine races and can keep his enduring story in the headlines.

Turf scene

The middle distance turf scene in the US is not strong and the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes over 10 furlongs has a few usual suspects like Rockemperor and Soldier Rising. Charlie Appleby should take advantage with both Ottoman Fleet and Warren Point in the 10-horse line up.

Ottoman Fleet, a four-year-old Sea The Stars gelding, won the Grade 2 Fort Marcy here in May to add to his Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes win earlier and should be capable of holding this field. Warren Point was only fifth behind Red Knight and Soldier Rising in the Grade 1 Man o’ War but was beaten less than half a length for second in the final lunge to the line.

Todd Pletcher’s Up To The Mark is the newcomer, the four-year-old having won the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill.