Silver Charm is obvious in my opinion. He proved in the last two races -- two tough races -- to be the best horse. He’s managed to come through it healthy and sound.
As I said from the beginning, to win the Triple Crown you have to have everything go your way. You also have to have some of the other horses hiccup a little, and that’s what happened with Captain Bodgit and Pulpit suffering injuries.
As far as the 1 ½ mile scenario, yes this horse can go the distance. He's the favorite. I would expect a big race out of him, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the final leg.
Wild Rush has the pedigree and the style to win the race. He has been fortunate to escape the first two races of this three race series, which are very grueling races. He has taken to the surface at Belmont. He seems to be coming up to the race well and I would put him as the main challenger to Silver Charm.
Touch Gold is as talented as they come. However, I believe you can’t have any setbacks in any of the other races leading up to the Belmont, and this horse has had some problems similar to that of Unbridled’s Song in last year’s Derby. It is compromising to any horse when you need to go a race as tough as 1 ½ miles.
He probably will not run as well back after the last race. However, from a betting standpoint, the entry of Wild Rush and Touch Gold is a solid proposition and Touch Gold is certainly talented enough to win.
I see Free House getting 1 ¼ miles, not necessarily 1 ½ miles. He would need a perfect pace, and at this point is doing very well at Belmont in training. He has proven himself to be a very good horse in the first two races.
Finally, Crypto Star has the pedigree and was fortunate enough to miss the second leg which makes him a little bit fresh. He’s working well and he’ll get the 1 ½ miles. The question is: Is he good enough to beat these horses?
