2014 Belmont Stakes (G1)

Word out today is that the Stewards are launching an investigation as to whether disqualify General A Rod from his Belmont Stakes finish. Steward and ex riding great Braulio Baeza lends a logical explanation as to why he was allowed to race ,and at the same time fuels more kerosene as to the oncompetence of those in Charge of maintainingnot only Integrity but a sense of sanity also . Based on what Baeza said,they correctly allowed the horse to run due to the timing of the stewards being notified. There was not enough time to substantiate and review all of the facts . My problem here is with either NYRA or the NY Gaming commission or both. The article clearly states that The NY Gaming commission announced on May 21 2014 , that all participants in the race are to be at the barn 45 to 60 minutes prior to the race . Forget Makers double talking for a second . How incompetent is NYRA to allow a High ranking official to make a staement saying that he never heard of a rule that requires horses to be there at a said time.This was 20 days after the NY Gaming commision put out the notice. It was 24 hrs after the fact,yet they still got it wrong. It is not important to me if they disqualify GAR or not,frankly i doubt if the $35,000 purse they received will make a dent in their pockets. The big picture here is that after all the recent black eyes that the racing game has taken and absorbed . Can the Gambler or competing owner or trainer have any confidence that the rules are being enforced to all. This is and important part towards the survival of the Racing Game . Not some sore loser complaining about selfish gains . This affects the entire game of Racing , yet is an afterthought to many.

Regardless of the sideshow nonsense that went on after the race,some are actually trying to celebrate that Saturday was a success for the Horse Racing Industry . I take a diffrent spin on it,as it turned out it was an absolute failure. This was arguably the greatest race card ever assembled for one individual day,excluding a Breeders Cup card . The weather in New York was absolutely gorgeous on that day . They promoted te hell out of this dy. Oh did i forget 1 thing!!!!! Oh yes,on top of all of this we had a horse who captured the tearts of Racing and non racing fans. The table was set for a banner day. I am sure the fans in attendance had a fun and festive day . Here is where the tide turns for me . With all of these positives,they only managed to draw 102,000 fans. That is nothing to sneeze at, but when i hear that the crowd to see Funny Cide attempt to win the TC drew more people . that is when an alarm should sound off. You see on tht day it poured throughout the day,the racing offered was no where near the quality of this past Saturdays . As i stated earlier,a sad thing for me as i walked through the crowds . There were about 70 to 80 % of what i call eventers. They had absolutely no interest in what was going on at the track. They were just waiting for the big race. I think The Racing game should try and review their strategy in promoting the game . They have put to much emphasis on targeting and making this a Fan friendly game. If stars like Zennyata or Racheland now even California Chrome not bring in the crowds,nothing will . Start targeting the people that will make your game grow,even if it is at a smaller percentage. I am sure the racing game is fully aware,as long as they are regulated by the States. They will always have racing because of the Racinos. But on a day where even one of the best skeptics around(i am talking about none other than myself) Ilost an over under bet for a dinner. The bet was the attendance. I took over 115,000 . I thought that was stealing at such a low numbe. Amino,what makes it worse. The person that fleeced me was none other than the Snuggler. Now when a professional jinx be right. Time to sound the alarms. The TC series will always be popular on TV,especially if the potential for a sweep is there. But as far as it translating to fans who actually will support the game. Don't hold your breath.

NYRA should be thankful for the actions of a Sore loser after he lost . It saved them from the real problem and issue at hand. Unfortunately there was only 1 trainer bold enough to stand up and tell about the blatant dis- obeyance of the Rules. I am talking about General A Rod ,and his late arrival into the security barn . Avery sad attempt by the connections to justify their actions. They said that the security guard told them it was OK. If the security guard told you to inject the horse with illegal medications, i am assuming you would of.After all, his word means more than that of the real authority. There was absolutely no chance of it happening,but what if we allow our minds to wander.What happens if he wins the race. The blatant breaking of the rules would of called for a disqualification. I am surprised he was not disqualified and placed last to begin with. But that is a result of NYRA disregarding the rules of the game to appease the National attention. Something is wrong when the integrity of the game is blatantly overlooked. Maybe next year if NYRA is fortunate to have another horse going for the TC. They can overlook the rules slightly by having timers at the starting gate. Maybe allow the potential TC winners gate to open about 3 to 4 seconds before all the others.After all what is the value of fair play for the compromise of having your heads up your ass and abiding by the motto "Anything goes". Dales horse ran huge on Saturday to finish 3rd. But in my estimation,his greatest accomplishment was the guts he showed to expose these frauds who call themselves a racing operation. To bad nobody paid attention.

i really hope the Steve Coburns comments after the race and still ranting will not turn fans away from the "Sport of Kings". I believe he needs to apologize for his comments and work constructively on a fix. If there needs to be one.

i really hope the Steve Coburns comments after the race and still ranting will not turn fans away from the "Sport of Kings". I believe he needs to apologize for his comments and work constructively on a fix. If there needs to be one.

the way the triple crown is run should never be messed with or it dishonors the horses who completed the task already. race 2 weeks race 3weeks race stay the same or it will also screw up the haskell and the travers to

Going with 20.00 win bets on the 8 and 10. Also 30.00 win bets on 5 and 9.

In Darby i put small amount of money on CC, I won small amount, in the Preakness i put $100 on Ride on Curlin and $ 50 on CC, but ultimately i lost, in Belmont i pur $ 50 on Wicked Strong and $50 on Tonalist , my average win is not bad, but i lost superfecta and trifecta in all 3 big races because 2nd place in each case upset came, so i lost.

Do not give any excuse that CC failed to win the Belmont Stakes, he has'nt the pedigree to win distance of 1-1/2 miles, i did not put him first three order in my superfecta and trifecta, i put him in 4th order, i got the winner, but i failed to put Commissioner in my superfecta and trifecta, i got Tonalist , Wicked Strong, Medal Count and Commanding Curve, so i won only the wining .

I agree with the sour grapes.

commissioner- A P Indy is Chromes grandfather and A P Indy is Commissioner's father-distance-distance

TRIPLE CHROME...

Hit the trifecta cold, and win your way into a racing partnership at Racing Factions.

Well after thinking about the race I had to change my mind a final time. 1) Commissioner, 2) ROC, 3) Wicked Strong, 4) Chrome!

Final Derby Picks: 1) General A Rod, 2) Medal Count 3) California Chrome 4) Wicked Strong. I wouldn't count out Commisioner or Matuszak tho.

Ride on Curlin, California Chrome, Wicked Strong, Samraat. I genuinely believe the race will be won by ROC, so I actually will put a little bit of money down. I believe he has been notably improving for such a long time -- and I think 1 1/2 miles is easily in his scope, I think Johnny V is a huge plus (is he ever not?) and I think he still has something left in the tank. I think he'll get in nice stalking position and try and take over in the stretch. I think a similar ride Johnny gave Union Rags would be beneficial. Stalking, four to five off, and let ROC take care of the rest. California Chrome (2nd) is obviously the best horse in the field. My question is whether he is 100%. He ran so big in three straight efforts, and give my flack if you want, but I don't think 12f is as easy for him as it is for ROC. I think he can get it -- but I'm not sure of it. Wicked Strong (3rd) fits all the trends. He is well rested, has a nice kick, and wants 12f. I think if he doesn't get going too late (which usually, Belmont problem is moving too early), he can definitely win. The issue is whether or not he can get up in time -- but he is the one that I am most confident will be at the wire -- so I will hedge some money on him. Samraat (4th) looks pretty decent here. He has the right style, he has never run a bad race, he is well rested and I think 12f is in his scope, maybe, if he can get in the right position. In here I'm really pulling for Chrome if my horse loses. Just like trainers in the race. They want their horse to win, but if they lose, they want it to be to Chrome. I'll be genuinely estactic since I have not see a Triple Crown since the ripe age of 10. ROC is my gut here. Last year, I stuck to Palace Malice after liking him for so long, and we all know what he did. I saw the steady improvement in him and I see similar to ROC. Wicked Strong and California Chrome will be tough. But I'm going out on a limb. I'm picking Ride on Curlin to win the Belmont. I'll hedge some money on Wicked Strong, main bet on ROC. I'll put a $2 win wager on California Chrome -- so if he wins -- I have a souvenir. I won't be on tomorrow for sure, but I hope everyone has a great time. Enjoy the races.

MNHorseGuy33 your absolutely right Comanding Curve and Ride on Curlin ran the races of their life in the Derby and Preakness but Victor was never in trouble in both races Victor had both measured and I also think CC had saved something for the Belmont. I think with nothing to hold back , your gonna see CC strut his stuff and win the Belmont and T.C. by 10+ lengths.

CC line 2? Steve Cauthen, the rider of Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crowned, stated: "If I was to ride California Chrome, I would send him to the front and play "catch me if you can" with the field, until the last furlong, then turn on CC afterburnes and win the Belmont. Should be that easy.

Back by popular demand, the Belmont Trifecta Contest. Pick the trifecta cold (1/2/3) and you will win a share in a Thoroughbred consortium starting in April 2015. Band together with other racing fans and get in the game at Racing Factions.

So, I am new here. However, I have been a fan of the sport for a while. I am going to post my picks for all of the graded races at Belmont this Saturday .. because it sounds like fun c: . R2- I like the 5 (Misconnect) , R3- I like 3 (Micromanage) & 6 (Golden Soul), R4- 6 (Undrafted ), R5- 10 (Kobe's back) 5 (Coup de Grace) 9 (Spot), R6- 5 (Sweet Reason) 4 (sweet whiskey) 3 (Fiftyshadesofgold), R7- 6 (Princess of sylmar), R8- 9 (Discreet Marq ) 6 (Stephanie's Kitten), R9- 4 (Goldencents) 13 - (Shakin It Up) 10- (Clearly Now) - Also like the 2, 8, and 9, R10- 1 (Imagining) 5 (Boisterous) 6 (Seek Again), R11- 2 (California Chrome) 8- (Commissioner ).