Fields Coming Together for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

The fields are coming together for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival which starts on Thursday.((Photo credit: © Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com)

Fields are coming together for the 2018 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, comprised of 18 stakes worth $9.4 million in purses over the three-day festival and highlighted by the 150th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA Bets, which will see undefeated Justify try to become only the 13th Triple Crown champion on Saturday, June 9 at Belmont Park.

Probable runners for the 2018 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival:

THURSDAY, JUNE 7:

Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental 

Probable: Always Thinking (Tom Albertrani); Delectation (Wesley Ward); Faypien (Bob Baffert); Heavenly Score (John Terranova); I’m Betty G (Mike Maker); La Sardane (Neil Drysdale); Lady Alexandra (Graham Motion); Stormy Victoria (Christophe Clement); Thundering Sky (George Weaver)

Possible: Union Strike (Mick Ruis)

Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again 

Probable: Altea (Chad Brown); Andina Del Sur (Albertrani); Armoricaine (Christophe Ferland); Camila Princess (Oscar Gonzalez); Daddy is a Legend (Weaver); La Signare (Brian Lynch); Layla Noor (Arnaud Delacour); Mighty Scarlett (C. Brown); Significant Form (C. Brown)

Possible: Animosity (Patrick Gallagher); Terrabyte (Terranova)

$150,000 Astoria 

Probable: Athens Queen (Ward); Gallanor (Phil Schoenthal); Lady Apple (Steve Asmussen); Six Pack Gal (Mike Machowsky); Tijori (Simon Callaghan); Wonder Stone (Ward)

FRIDAY, JUNE 8:

Grade 2, $600,000 New York

Probable: Daddy’s Lil Darling (Kenny McPeek); Empressof the Nile (H. James Bond); Esquisse (Motion); Fahan Mura (Vladimir Cerin); Fourstar Crook (C. Brown); Holy Helena (Jimmy Jerkens); Mom’s On Strike (Joe Sharp); Sistercharlie (C. Brown); Snowy Winter (Archie Watson)

Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational

Probable: Bronson (Maker); Call Provision (C. Brown); Call to Mind (William Haggas); Canessar (Delacour); Funny Kid (Ferland); Nessy (Ian Wilkes); Postulation (Edward Graham); Prince of Arran (Charlie Fellows); Rocketry (Jerkens); Run Time (Maker)

Possible: Arklow (Brad Cox)

Grade 2, $250,000 True North 

Probable: Bobby Abu Dhabi (Peter Miller); Imperial Hint (Luis Carvajal, Jr.); Joking (Charlie Baker); Limousine Liberal (Ben Colebrook); Recruiting Ready (Horacio DePaz); Westwood (Kiaran McLaughlin); Whitmore (Ron Moquett)

Possible: Always Sunshine (Edward Allard)

Grade 3, $250,000 Bed o’ Roses Invitational 

Probable: American Gal (Callaghan); Divine Miss Grey (Danny Gargan); Lewis Bay (C. Brown); Yorkiepoo Princess (Eddie Barker);

Possible: Cairenn (Motion); Highway Star (Ubillo); Union Strike (Ruis); Your Love (C. Brown)

$150,000 Tremont 

Probable: Girls Love Me (Anthony Farrior); Mae Never No (filly) (Ward); Our Braintrust (Cal Lynch); Outshine (Todd Pletcher); Sir Truebadour (Asmussen); Social Fan (Pletcher); Sombeyay (Pletcher)

SATURDAY, JUNE 9:

Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA Bets 

Probable: Blended Citizen (Doug O’Neill); Bravazo (D. Wayne Lukas); Free Drop Billy (Dale Romans); Gronkowski (Chad Brown); Hofburg (Bill Mott); Justify (Bob Baffert); Noble Indy (Todd Pletcher); Restoring Hope (Baffert); Seahenge (Aidan O’Brien); Tenfold (Steve Asmussen); Vino Rosso (Pletcher)

Possible: Bandua (Dermot Weld)

Grade 1, $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap 

“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Division

Probable: Awesome Slew (Casse); Bee Jersey (Asmussen); Bolt d’Oro (Ruis); Good Samaritan (Mott); McCraken (Wilkes); Mind Your Biscuits (Chad Summers); Ransom the Moon (Phil D’Amato); Warrior’s Club (Lukas)

Possible: Discreet Lover (Uriah St. Lewis)

Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan

Probable: Alexios Komnenos (James Stack); Beach Patrol (C. Brown); Channel Maker (Mott); Hi Happy (Pletcher); Lucullan (McLaughlin); Manitoulin (Jimmy Toner); Multiplier (Peter Miller); One Go All Go (Charles Dickey); Robert Bruce (Brown); Sadler’s Joy (Albertrani); Spring Quality (Motion)

Possible: Arklow (Cox); Catho En Die (Naipaul Chatterpaul)

Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn, presented by Nassau County IDA

Probable: Caledonia Road (Ralph Nicks); Gio Game (Casse); Monomoy Girl (Cox); Moonshine Memories (Callaghan); Spectator (D’Amato); Starcloud (Oscar Gonzalez); Talk Veuve to Me (Rudolphe Brisset);

Possible: Gas Station Sushi (Richard Baltas)

Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just A Game

Probable: A Raving Beauty (C. Brown); Cambodia (Tom Proctor); La Coronel (Casse); Lull (Clement); Off Limits (C. Brown); On Leave (Shug McGaughey); Proctor’s Ledge (Brendan Walsh)

Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps

“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Distaff Division

Probable: Abel Tasman (Baffert); Fault (D’Amato); Ivy Bell (Pletcher); Pacific Wind (C. Brown); Unbridled Mo (Pletcher); Unchained Melody (Brian Lynch)

Possible: Berned (Motion); Farrell (Wayne Catalano)

Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens, presented by Mohegan Sun

Probable: Engage (C. Brown); Givemeaminit (Dallas Stewart); Kanthaka (Jerry Hollendorfer); Madison’s Luna (Philip Bauer); Pure Shot (Asmussen); Still Having Fun (Timothy Keefe); Strike Power (Mark Hennig); The Tabulator (Larry Rivelli); World of Trouble (Jason Servis)

Possible: Beautiful Shot (Keith Desormeaux)

Grade 2, $400,000 Jaipur Invitational

“Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Division

Probable: Blind Ambition (Pletcher); Conquest Panthera (Casse); Conquest Tsunami (Miller); Disco Partner (Clement); Frisky Magician (Jorge Abreu); Holding Gold (Casse); Pocket Change (Jason Servis); Stormy Liberal (Miller); Will Call (Cox)

Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational

Probable: Backsideofthemoon (Leo O’Brien); Carlino (Hennig); Giant Payday (Wilkes); Hard Study (Pletcher); Hint of Roses (Maker); Hoppertunity (Baffert); Mills (David Donk); Outplay (Pletcher); Take Your Guns (C. Brown); War Story (Jorge Navarro); Zanotti (Juan Carlos Guerrero)

Possible: Discreet Lover (St. Lewis)

$150,000 Easy Goer

Probable: Breaking the Rules (McGaughey); High North (Cox); Mask (C. Brown) Pony Up (Pletcher); Rugbyman (Motion)

Possible: Dark Vader (Peter Eurton); Givemeaminit (Stewart); Lunar Beauty (Rick Violette, Jr.); Maimo (Summers); Promises Fulfilled (Romans); The Tabulator (Rivelli)