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Click Here for the 2007 Belmont Field with post position, horse, jockey and trainer.

For the second straight Triple Crown race I have to say that the Belmont comes down to two horses. And for the second straight race, I feel a little bad that Hard Spun isn't quite good enough to be one of those two horses. Hard Spun reminds me a bit of Free House, who put on a great showing in the 1997 Triple Crown, but was overshadowed by Silver Charm and Captain Bodgit. Free House went on to have an impressive career, and I hope the same for Hard Spun. With that touchy-feely sentiment out of the way, I think that both Curlin and Rags to Riches are clearly superior horses in the Belmont Stakes field that will show that on Saturday. My expectation is for Curlin to provide us with another memorable stretch duel. For what it's worth, I see him winning again, and probably by a somewhat wider margin than last time.

With a race this long and a field this small, post positions are essentially irrelevant. Here's a look at the Belmont Stakes field with analysis, with the horses listed by post position:

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1. Imawildandcrazyguy (20/1) - This horse is fairly solid. Totally outclassed here, but still solid. His fourth place finish in the Derby was no fluke, and I expect him to put together a decent career with some wins in races people have heard of. The Belmont will not be one of them. He very well could be the fourth best horse in this field, and two Triple Crown fourths is nothing to scoff at. He could be a bigger factor, but probably not. One thing that won't be a concern, though, is the distance - he was strong at the end of the Derby, and has shown an ability to run forever. If the distance becomes an issue in the race, Imawildandcrazyguy could be there to pick up the pieces.

2. Tiago (10/1) - I think that Giacomo was more impressive in the Derby than history gives him credit for, so I want to cheer for this horse with the same connections. I just can't. His Santa Anita Derby was won over a very questionable field. He is a closer that got a decent race in the Derby, but his best move at the end wasn't nearly good enough. This race could set up nicely for a closer - a fast pace and tons of room to move. I just really can't see how even his best move is even close to good enough to catch the horses he will have to catch here. The purse will pay out to fifth, and Tiago will have run well if he wants a check.

3. Curlin (6/5) - I have lost all objectivity on this horse. I fell in love with him in his first race, and the love just grows deeper with every race. I cannot say enough about his Preakness win - I believe that there are less than a small handful of horses on the planet that could come back and win after being passed like Street Sense passed him.

I'm not so blinded by love to not see that there could be some issues. He has had two very difficult races in five weeks, though he's obviously matured over that time. He also has to prove that he can handle the distance. He should be okay on that front - his sire, Smart Strike, is also the sire of English Channel, who handled 1 1/2 miles in the Breeders' Cup Turf last year. The price, low to start and likely to go lower, is also a concern.

It comes down to this - how important is class in your eyes? Curlin is the classiest horse in the race, and quite possibly in the entire three year old class. If you think that's enough, then you should ignore all of the potential concerns and throw your money on his back. I will. I truly believe that this is a special horse.

4. CP West (12/1) - I won't waste a lot of virtual ink on this horse. I didn't think he belonged in the Preakness, and he did nothing in the race to change my mind. I really don't think he belongs here, either. I like both trainer Nick Zito and jockey Edgar Prado, but I can't shake the feeling that he is only here to grab a check.

5. Slew's Tizzy (20/1) - This horse is coming in off of two straight wins, in the Lexington and the Lone Star Derby. Those aren't the biggest races out there, but he looked good, and at least they were wins. He also showed that he can win up front or off the pace. He'll probably try for the early lead here. After losing Robby Albarado to Curlin, he was supposed to be ridden by John Velazquez, but after that jock switched to Rags to Riches Rafael Bejarano was handed the reins. There are a lot of people that would consider that an upgrade - Velazquez certainly has his critics. Slew's Tizzy is, as his name hints at, well-bred - his sire, Tiznow, won the Breeders' Cup Classic twice, once at Belmont, and Seattle Slew appears in his pedigree twice. He'll look to set the pace and hope to hang on. I'm willing to bet that he won't.

6. Hard Spun (5/2) - He's not at the top of the class, but at least he's clearly the third best. Hard Spun may not get the lead clean thanks to Slew's Tizzy, but I fully expect him to have the lead somewhere around the final turn. He hasn't faded in either of the last two races. He's just been passed by faster horses. The potential is definitely there for him to hold on down the stretch, and even potentially to be there at the end. One thing that certainly helps is the upgrade in jockeys - Garrett Gomez is a heck of a lot better than Mario Pino. Gomez is also the only jockey to have ever ridden Rags to Riches, so he will know what to expect there. Still, Hard Spun's a brawler, but I will be surprised if he has a knockout punch.

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7. Rags to Riches (3/1) - This race could have been less exciting without Street Sense, but the entry of this filly solves that problem. Her win in the Kentucky Oaks was as impressive as a race can be, and that wasn't even her best race in my mind. In the Las Virgenes she was six wide around the final turn, looked completely beat, and then exploded late to win in a miracle. Truly incredible.

She's bred to run in the Belmont. Her sire, A.P. Indy, was the winner in 1992. His sire, Seattle Slew, was a Triple Crown winner. Her broodmare sire, Deputy Minister, sired Belmont winner Touch Gold. In other words, if she can't run the distance then no one can. She has just one major knock against her - her gender. Fillies have not fared well in the Belmont. The last filly to try was Silverbulletday in 1999, and she only finished seventh after being pushed on the pace. Only 22 fillies have run the race in total, and two have won - in 1867 and 1905. It is possible to believe at this point, though, that this is no ordinary filly. She just has to prove it.

In a perfect race she and Curlin would run the identical style. Both horses like to settle just of the pace and then pounce in the stretch. There will be all sorts of room to do that in this race - a small field, a massive track, and a stretch that goes on forever. I'm not convinced that she is good enough to beat Curlin, but I can hardly wait to find out.