Without a Triple Crown on the line going into the Belmont Stakes, viewership and attendance usually drop.
But this year looks to be different. The top seven horses from the Kentucky Derby are back to race Saturday around the mile-and-a-half track, including winner Animal Kingdom, and the horse that nipped him in the Preakness, Shackleford.
With the term “rivalry” has been bandied about, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association is grinning at the thought of Animal Kingdom and Shackleford in a rubber match at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
“It's the next best thing to having a Triple Crown on the line,” said association spokesman Eric Wing. “It's not always a given that the Derby winner and the Preakness winner hook up in the Belmont Stakes.”
Only 11 horses have ever won the Triple Crown and just as many have won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. Preakness winners have fared better in the Belmont, with a total of 18 completing the Preakness-Belmont feat, the last being Afleet Alex in 2005.
The draw for post positions sent Shackleford to the far outside at the 12 post, with Animal Kingdom three slots down at gate nine. Master of Hounds will be in Gate 1, while Nehro will be in the middle of the pack in the sixth slot.
Riding the rail has been a boon for most horses in the Belmont, but the distance may be too far for the U.K.-based Master of Hounds. There's also the rested Nehro to challenge the front-runners, and Mucho Macho Man who came up short in the Derby and Preakness.
Animal Kingdom should be able to watch the race unfold in front of him before making a move in the final turn, but Shackleford held him off in the Preakness and could do the same Saturday if he can keep the pace up for the longest run of his career.
“Animal Kingdom, he's bred to go a mile-and-a-half more than Shackleford,” said Lou Cauz, managing director of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and a former racing reporter. “I think (the distance) will be testing the pedigree of Shackleford.”
Completing either the Derby-Belmont or Preakness-Belmont sweep would mean bragging rights and a serious jump in stud fees.
“If Shackleford wins, he's going to be the champion three-year-old. If Animal Kingdom wins, he's going to be the champion three-year-old. There's a lot at stake here,” said Cauz.
It will also be testing the interest in thoroughbred racing. Cauz said the sport needs something more than a rivalry or Triple Crown winner in order to regain public interest.
“Horse racing . . . is an event that happens the first Saturday in May, the third Saturday in May, the first (or second) Saturday in June, and then drops off until the fall,” he said.
“I have my doubts if we'll ever see horse racing like it was in the 50s, 60s and 70s.”
But this year looks to be different. The top seven horses from the Kentucky Derby are back to race Saturday around the mile-and-a-half track, including winner Animal Kingdom, and the horse that nipped him in the Preakness, Shackleford.
With the term “rivalry” has been bandied about, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association is grinning at the thought of Animal Kingdom and Shackleford in a rubber match at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
“It's the next best thing to having a Triple Crown on the line,” said association spokesman Eric Wing. “It's not always a given that the Derby winner and the Preakness winner hook up in the Belmont Stakes.”
Only 11 horses have ever won the Triple Crown and just as many have won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. Preakness winners have fared better in the Belmont, with a total of 18 completing the Preakness-Belmont feat, the last being Afleet Alex in 2005.
The draw for post positions sent Shackleford to the far outside at the 12 post, with Animal Kingdom three slots down at gate nine. Master of Hounds will be in Gate 1, while Nehro will be in the middle of the pack in the sixth slot.
Riding the rail has been a boon for most horses in the Belmont, but the distance may be too far for the U.K.-based Master of Hounds. There's also the rested Nehro to challenge the front-runners, and Mucho Macho Man who came up short in the Derby and Preakness.
Animal Kingdom should be able to watch the race unfold in front of him before making a move in the final turn, but Shackleford held him off in the Preakness and could do the same Saturday if he can keep the pace up for the longest run of his career.
“Animal Kingdom, he's bred to go a mile-and-a-half more than Shackleford,” said Lou Cauz, managing director of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and a former racing reporter. “I think (the distance) will be testing the pedigree of Shackleford.”
Completing either the Derby-Belmont or Preakness-Belmont sweep would mean bragging rights and a serious jump in stud fees.
“If Shackleford wins, he's going to be the champion three-year-old. If Animal Kingdom wins, he's going to be the champion three-year-old. There's a lot at stake here,” said Cauz.
It will also be testing the interest in thoroughbred racing. Cauz said the sport needs something more than a rivalry or Triple Crown winner in order to regain public interest.
“Horse racing . . . is an event that happens the first Saturday in May, the third Saturday in May, the first (or second) Saturday in June, and then drops off until the fall,” he said.
“I have my doubts if we'll ever see horse racing like it was in the 50s, 60s and 70s.”