3 horses to watch in the Belmont Stakes

With the early favorite, Classic Empire, out of the Belmont Stakes due to a foot abscess in the bulb of his right front, here are three horses to keep an eye on Saturday.

Irish War Cry (3-1)

This colt was a top selection amongst many insiders in last month's Kentucky Derby, and for a time during the "Run for the Roses," it looked like he would win - and then he just flattened out to a 10th-place finish. His trainer, Graham Motion, opted to skip the Preakness Stakes, and only decided give the Belmont a shot last week. He said the horse is training too well not to run. Motion is not known to over promise and under deliver, and acknowledges that one-mile-and-a-half is a question. Irish War Cry was made the morning-line favorite after Classic Empire defected Wednesday morning due to injury. Nevertheless, the big chestnut looks to be ready to roll.

Epicharis (7-2)

(Editor's note: Epicharis was scratched Saturday morning after failing to pass a pre-race veterinary exam)

The Japanese love horse racing and nowhere in the world is the sport more successful. Japan may outpace North America in betting, attendance, and purse money, but Japan still sees the big races in the United States as the ultimate dream, hence why Epicharis is in the Belmont field. Last year, Japanese runner, Lani, contested in all three Triple Crown races, finishing ninth, fifth, and third, respectively. Oddsmakers feel Epicharis has a better shot: The colt has won all but one of his five starts, finishing second in the UAE Derby in Dubai, and has settled into New York well. The only question is after traveling this far, is he ready to go the distance on Saturday?

Lookin At Lee (9-2)

With the scratch of favorite Classic Empire, Lookin At Lee is now the only horse running in the Belmont Stakes that has run in the other two jewels of the Triple Crown this year. His runner-up finish in the Derby instantly caught people's attention, and the fourth-place run in the Preakness re-affirmed he is no fluke. But now the question remains whether those two races have left him with enough gas in the tank for Saturday's one-mile-and-a-half "Test of a Champion," as the Belmont is often called. It should be noted that Corey Lanerie, who rode Lookin At Lee in the Derby and Preakness, has been replaced with Irad Ortiz Jr., a New York-based jockey who knows every inch of Belmont. Even more, Ortiz Jr. and Lookin At Lee's trainer Steve Asmussen paired up to win last year's Belmont Stakes with Creator.

(Odds courtesy: Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook)