Rested Nehro could steal spotlight in Belmont

Lacking the drama of a horse contending for the Triple Crown, Saturday's Belmont Stakes shapes up as a rubber match between Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford.

But don't be surprised if Derby runner-up Nehro steals the spotlight in the final and most grueling leg of the Triple Crown.

"I like this horse Nehro," Wynn race and sports director John Avello said. "He seems to be getting better every race."

Nehro, the No. 6 horse and second favorite at 4-1 odds, placed second in his last three races and should be well-rested after not running the Preakness.

"He got a freshener and has had more time off than the others," Avello said. "It's tough on a 3-year-old to run three grueling races in five weeks."

Bryan Blessing, a television analyst for donbest.com, agrees that running all three legs of the Triple Crown -- the 1¼-mile Kentucky Derby, 1 3/16-mile Preakness and 1½-mile Belmont -- is a daunting challenge for a young horse.

"What usually happens in the Belmont is the fresh horses are dangerous," he said. "Nehro is interesting. His workout was nothing to write home about, but that's the workout. It's all about race day."

Blessing is betting on Animal Kingdom -- the No. 9 horse and favorite at 2-1 odds -- to win the Belmont. He also plans to play the colt in an exacta box with Master of Hounds -- the No. 1 horse and a 10-1 choice -- and in a trifecta box with Nehro.

"Animal Kingdom looks great on the surface," Blessing said. "He had a great workout, and my connections are confident he's going to run a big race. He looks the part."

A charging Animal Kingdom placed second in the Preakness, a half-length behind Shackleford. Blessing said the longer distance in the Belmont should help him close the deal.

"He should be able to stretch it out and it looks like he should be able to run all day long, which suits his style in a mile and a half," he said.

A key to success at Belmont, Blessing said, is having experienced jockeys such as Master of Hounds' Garrett Gomez and Animal Kingdom's John Velazquez.

"Guys who haven't ridden an awful lot at that track just can't believe how long the backstretch is, and some guys panic and make the move too early," he said. "Gomez is a very patient rider and will wait until the last second to push the button and go.

"Velazquez has been around the Belmont circuit forever and knows what it takes to get the job done there."

While Avello likes Nehro to win, he said Shackleford -- the No. 12 horse and a 9-2 choice -- could prevail if he takes an early lead.

"If he's able to go out and set his own fractions and have a little something at the end to withstand the challenges, it's possible he can win, too," he said.

Without a Triple Crown at stake, Avello expects the handle to be much less than it was for the Derby.

"It will probably be equivalent to what the Preakness was," he said. "The Derby's the best betting race because there are 20 horses in the field and it's fairly unpredictable.

"If you can connect the dots, you can put some telephone numbers together, some really big payoffs."

The Belmont will feature 12 horses, including the top seven finishers in the Derby.

"It's a unique Belmont," Blessing said. "Usually by this point, they thin the herd out. It's an indication of how wide-open the crop of 3-year-olds is."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.