Trappe Shot only star born on Belmont day

The look of greatness in horse racing can occur in the most unlikely places. For example, I thought the Belmont Stakes field was a decent group of 3-year-olds, with some possibly exiting the race as rising young stars.

Boy, was I wrong.

Drosselmeyer won by upset in a sundial-slow time of 2 minutes, 31.57 seconds, which was a paltry 94 Beyer speed figure. My bet-against horse, First Dude, hung on for third only because he was allowed to lead for six furlongs in nearly 1:15. $5,000 claimers run six furlongs in faster times.

Drosselmeyer did prove one thing to me: Preakness victor Lookin at Lucky is by far the best colt and leader of the 3-year-old division. That doesn't guarantee, though, that he'll hold the title when winter comes.

New shooters with unbridled talent will surely emerge, and one already did on Belmont Stakes day. A horse to watch for is Trappe Shot for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. He won a first-level allowance race in a sizzling 1:22.18, earning a strong 105 Beyer, 11 points higher than Drosselmeyer.

Trappe Shot ran his seven furlongs quicker than stakes winner D'Funnybone (1:22.64) did in winning the Woody Stephens Stakes. The Daily Racing Form chart footnotes read that Trappe Shot "was geared down about three strides past the sixteenth pole." In other words, Trappe Shot could have run the race in much faster time.

Purchased for $850,000, Trappe Shot is sired by Tapit out of a Private Account mare. With that nice pedigree, a distance of ground should be well within his scope. His next start will be in the Long Branch at Monmouth, a prep for the $1 million Haskell.

Trappe Shot is the most exciting prospect to surface this side of the now-retired Eskendereya. Let's hope he'll progress and take on Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Lookin at Lucky and Drosselmeyer in the Haskell and/or the Travers.

■ HANDLEMAN OBIT -- Horse racing and journalism lost a dear friend Wednesday when award-winning Asbury Park (N.J.) Press columnist Bill Handleman died at age 62. His second home was the Monmouth Park press box, where he scribed a regular sports column. Bill later became the paper's lead columnist, but his love of horse racing never waned. He is survived by his wife, Judy, and family. It is a sure bet that Monmouth Park will eventually name a stakes race in his honor, and deservedly so.

Richard Eng's horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.