Analysis and picks for Belmont Stakes 2008.

Big Brown at 2/5 isn't our kind of bet especially considering his foot problems. He ran down badly in the Preakness with a bit of blood coming up through the bandages and now he has had a quarter crack in a front hoof. He'll be running with extra thick rear bandages and a repaired front hoof. He also had a pretty brisk workout that may take a bit out of him. We'll play him to fade late.
Icabad Crane had a nice move late in the Preakness that was interrupted by traffic. He's eligible to improve because he's a late foal and the extra 3 weeks could provide additional physical and mental gain. Casino Drive had a solid Peter Pan and shouldn't have any trouble with the distance. He might be susceptible to the crowd happenings, though Prado should help. Macho Again had a decent Preakness and gets Gomez for this. He probably won't have enough late. Another eligible to improve is Da' Tara, a late date foal. Zito has had good success in this event and Da' Tara had Preakness-comparative fractions in the Barbaro S. on Preakness day. Tale of Ekati threw in a terrible work on May 26 and isn't bred for the distance. Denis of Cork could close somewhat but doesn't seem to have the burst of speed needed. The others offer little.

Picks - 1). Icabad Crane 2). Casino Drive 3) Macho Again 4) Da' Tara.

We'll play our top choice to show also in the event Big Brown folds up and opens the way for large show payoffs.

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