Belmont Stakes

Horse racing fans talk about their sport not having a Triple Crown winner in nearly 35 years much the way baseball fans lament the fact that their favorite game has gone more than twice as long without a .400 hitter. Undoubtedly, in the days leading up to the 138th Preakness at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, there will plenty of discussion about Orb's chances to repeat what he did at the Kentucky Derby and, if victorious in Baltimore, what he might do next month in New York at the Belmont Stakes.

He kept coming back, year after year, horse after horse, trying to get another victory in the Preakness Stakes before he was done. Going into the 138th running of the Triple Crown's middle leg, D. Wayne Lukas had tried eight times since Charismatic won at Pimlico Race Course in 1999 - with 12 different entries. The best any of his horses could do was third place - twice - with Proud Citizen in 2002 and Scrimshaw in 2003. But as the 77-year-old Hall of Fame trainer pointed out after 15-1 shot Oxbow took the lead nearly out of the gates and held off Itsmyluckyday by 1 ¾ lengths to give Lukas his sixth victory in the Preakness, even winning a record 14th Triple Crown race was not going to change his career plans.

When Heat Press last ran in Maryland, he finished third in a three-horse race. Yet his owner - the same man who managed to turn the idea of quick-drying fabric into an athletic apparel empire that brought in nearly $2 billion in revenue last year - spent much of Monday touting the horse's chances against the best 3-year-olds in the country. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank has never been one to pay the odds much mind. On Monday, he bounced from interview to interview, assuring each camera and recorder of his faith in the inconsistent colt.

Horse racing fans talk about their sport not having a Triple Crown winner in nearly 35 years much the way baseball fans lament the fact that their favorite game has gone more than twice as long without a .400 hitter. Undoubtedly, in the days leading up to the 138th Preakness at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, there will plenty of discussion about Orb's chances to repeat what he did at the Kentucky Derby and, if victorious in Baltimore, what he might do next month in New York at the Belmont Stakes.

He kept coming back, year after year, horse after horse, trying to get another victory in the Preakness Stakes before he was done. Going into the 138th running of the Triple Crown's middle leg, D. Wayne Lukas had tried eight times since Charismatic won at Pimlico Race Course in 1999 - with 12 different entries. The best any of his horses could do was third place - twice - with Proud Citizen in 2002 and Scrimshaw in 2003. But as the 77-year-old Hall of Fame trainer pointed out after 15-1 shot Oxbow took the lead nearly out of the gates and held off Itsmyluckyday by 1 ¾ lengths to give Lukas his sixth victory in the Preakness, even winning a record 14th Triple Crown race was not going to change his career plans.

D. Wayne Lukas has had plenty of success with horses running in the second leg of the Triple Crown. His five career wins at Pimlico's featured event speak for themselves. But this year, Lukas decided to take a slightly different approach. His horse, Optimizer, will be using Saturday's Preakness as an opportunity to prepare for the Belmont Stakes in June, the longest of the Triple Crown races - one Lukas thinks the colt has a better shot at winning. Lukas made a switch at jockey, giving the mount to Corey Nakatani to get the new rider some experience before the final leg of the Triple Crown three weeks from Saturday.

The absence of Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another opens up the 2012 Belmont Stakes from a wagering perspective. Dullahan and Union Rags are likely to be co-favorites, with Dullahan possibly taking slightly more wagering. The Union Rags faithful still believe he is one of the top horses in the country despite back-to-back disappointments in the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby. He did take one of the worst trips in the Derby and ran very well once he found room. Dullahan was moving the best at the end of the Derby, finishing a strong third.

What: 130th Belmont Stakes, third leg of horse racing's Triple CrownPost time: Today, 5: 27 p.m.Where: Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y.Distance: 1 1/2 milesPurse: 1st -- $600,000; 2nd -- $200,000; 3rd -- $110,000.TV: Chs. 2, 7Weather forecast: Sunny, breezy, low 70sField:PP Horse Odds1. Hanuman Highway .. .. ..30-12. Thomas Jo .. .. .. .. ..30-1Basic Trainee .. .. .. .99-14. Chilito .. .. .. .. .. .30-1Parade Ground .. .. .. .20-16. Classic Cat .. .. .. ...15-17. Limit Out .. .. .. .. ..10-1Real Quiet .. .. .. .. ..6-5Hot Wells .. .. .. .. ..30-1Raffie's Majesty .. ...20-111.

News item: Kentucky Derby winnerAnimal Kingdom and Preakness winnerShackleford will try to break their Triple Crown tie on Saturday in the Belmont Stakes. My take: If it were a match race, I'd go with Kingdom based on the way the first two races played out, but I'm guessing somebody will come out of nowhere to steal the 1 ½-mile Belmont. And since it doesn't cost me a dime to make a wild prediction, I'll go with our old friend Edgar Prado on 15-1 shot Prime Cut. Thank me later.

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Alydeed, whose second-place finish in the Preakness turned him into one of the top 3-year-olds in training, will pass on the June 6 Belmont Stakes. The owner and trainer of the Canadian-based colt are reluctant to run him without the anti-bleeding medication Lasix.

When Heat Press last ran in Maryland, he finished third in a three-horse race. Yet his owner - the same man who managed to turn the idea of quick-drying fabric into an athletic apparel empire that brought in nearly $2 billion in revenue last year - spent much of Monday touting the horse's chances against the best 3-year-olds in the country. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank has never been one to pay the odds much mind. On Monday, he bounced from interview to interview, assuring each camera and recorder of his faith in the inconsistent colt.

Women's college lacrosse Schwarzmann, Howard, D'Amore earn weekly honors Maryland senior midfielder Katie Schwarzmann (Century) and senior goalkeeper Kasey Howard (Broadneck) have been named Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the conference announced Tuesday. Schwarzmann moved up to No. 5 on Maryland's all-time goals list (180) with a career-high seven in a 19-11 win at No. 1 Syracuse on Sunday. She added three draw controls and converted on 7-of-8 shots, helping the Terps avenge a one-goal loss last season that ended a 36-game home winning streak.

Even-money favorite Paynter, who took second in last month's Belmont Stakes, ran away down the stretch to win Sunday's $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. The victory, in 1 minute, 48.87 seconds, is the third in a row for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and sixth overall in the 1 1/8-mile, Grade I stakes. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano for the first time, Paynter stumbled at the start and was forced to follow 2-1 second pick Gemologist around the first turn and into the backstretch before taking the lead around the final turn for a 3 3/4-length win over Nonios, followed by Stealcase, Handsome Mike, Dullahan and Gemologist.

Even without I'll Have Another going for the last leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes did OK in the ratings for NBC, drawing an overnight audience 13 percent larger than last year's and 74 percent above 2010. Saturday's telecast drew a 5.4 rating and 13 share (rating is percentage of TV households in U.S., while share is the percentage in use). The actual number of viewers nationally will not be available until Tuesday, according to NBC Sports. Here are the overnights for the last six years, and the TOP 10 markets for Saturday's race, as provided by NBC Sports.

Elmont, NY - Paynter stayed where he was, a few feet off the rail, charging toward the finish. Everyone whose heart had been broken by Union Rags before must have had the same thought: he's not going to squeeze through. But then, delivering upon the power and grace that Fair Hill-based trainer Michael Matz had promised, the huge colt saw the inside lane, barged forward and floated over the final feet of the most grueling Triple Crown race, winning the 144th Belmont by a neck on Saturday.

Rosie Napravnik became the first woman ever to win the Kentucky Oaks five weeks ago. Today, the former Hereford student who began her career in Maryland can become the second woman to win the Belmont - or any Triple Crown race, for that matter - on long shot Five Sixteen. She'll be trying to follow one of her idols, Julie Crone, who won it in 1993 on Colonial Affair. Five Sixteen has won only once, on Aquedcuct's inner track on March 14 against other maidens. He most recently ran fourth in a nine-furlong allowance race on April 18. At least he's fresh.

As  I'll Have Another  ducked from his barn for an early 5:30 workout Friday, his connections could only hope what they'd seen the day before was an aberration. They'd buried their deepest fear, only admitting hours later that, as owner J. Paul Reddam would say, "… History is going to have to wait for another day. " I'll Have Another scratched from Saturday's 144th Belmont, becoming the first horse since Bold Venture in 1936 not to go to post with a chance to win the Triple Crown.

Elmont, NY - Paynter stayed where he was, a few feet off the rail, charging toward the finish. Everyone whose heart had been broken by Union Rags before must have had the same thought: he's not going to squeeze through. But then, delivering upon the power and grace that Fair Hill-based trainer Michael Matz had promised, the huge colt saw the inside lane, barged forward and floated over the final feet of the most grueling Triple Crown race, winning the 144th Belmont by a neck on Saturday.

The absence of Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another opens up the 2012 Belmont Stakes from a wagering perspective. Dullahan and Union Rags are likely to be co-favorites, with Dullahan possibly taking slightly more wagering. The Union Rags faithful still believe he is one of the top horses in the country despite back-to-back disappointments in the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby. He did take one of the worst trips in the Derby and ran very well once he found room. Dullahan was moving the best at the end of the Derby, finishing a strong third.

As  I'll Have Another  ducked from his barn for an early 5:30 workout Friday, his connections could only hope what they'd seen the day before was an aberration. They'd buried their deepest fear, only admitting hours later that, as owner J. Paul Reddam would say, "… History is going to have to wait for another day. " I'll Have Another scratched from Saturday's 144th Belmont, becoming the first horse since Bold Venture in 1936 not to go to post with a chance to win the Triple Crown.