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Named for the Italian word meaning "raw," Crudo is exactly that. The 3-year-old colt has run just three times—all this year—and is the least experienced entrant in the Belmont Stakes field. His lack of racing means he still has room to grow, and this son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify will need to do a lot of that if the connections hope to see the winner's circle Saturday.

5 Crudo (15-1)

  • Trainer Todd Pletcher
  • Jockey John Velazquez
  • Last race 1st in the Sir Barton Stakes by 7½ lengths
  • Career record 3 starts: 2 wins
  • Career earnings $130,148
  • Best career Beyer Speed Figure 84 (2025 Sir Barton Stakes)
  • Sire Justify

Below, we'll dig further into Crudo as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 157th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 7. We'll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.

Belmont Stakes profiles 1 Hill Road | 2 Sovereignty | 3 Rodriguez | 4 Uncaged | 5 Crudo | 6 Baeza | 7 Journalism | 8 Heart of Honor

Belmont Stakes picks Michelle Yu | Gene Menez | Jody Demling | Jeff Hochman

What to know about Crudo

Co-owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, Crudo did not make his debut until Feb. 8 when he lost by 7¼ lengths as the odds-on favorite at FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET. His next start was a complete reversal. He dominated a maiden field at Keeneland by the same 7¼ lengths, leading from gate-to-wire.

And his most recent start was his best yet. Facing winners for the first time in the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness Stakes undercard, he again went gate-to-wire, drawing off powerfully for a 7½-length win. 

Crudo was not originally under consideration for the Belmont Stakes but as the field started to solidify over the last week with only one speed horse in the race, trainer Todd Pletcher elected to add him. The late inclusion suggests the Belmont was more of an afterthought by the horse's connections, but Pletcher knows a Belmont winner when he sees one; he has won this race four times.

The pace scenario of the Belmont certainly suits Crudo. The Bob Baffert-trained Rodriguez is the only other horse with early speed, and he hasn't always been sent to the front in races. Crudo could find himself setting the pace on a track that has been friendly to speed, and he is a perfect 2-for-2 when he gets to the front.

However, Crudo has not yet shown that he is fast enough to be even competitive in a race like this. His career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 84 is tied for the lowest career-high Beyer in the field and is well shy of the top four favorites, who have all run triple-digit Beyers.

Post draw analysis

If there's a winner of the post draw, it would be Crudo, who was assigned post No. 5. The number of the post is not as important as having drawn outside the only other speed horse in the race, Rodriguez. Being outside Rodriguez allows Crudo to press that rival or take the lead if jockey John Velazquez wants it. Velazquez has built a Hall of Fame career out of winning races while pressing pacesetters two-wide, and that's exactly the trip Crudo is projected to get.