Triple Crown: The hopes are real, and Justifiably so

There are plenty of storylines surrounding the 150th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, but none more compelling than Justify’s bid to become the 13th Triple Crown winner, and the first since American Pharoah in 2015.

Will the sweep happen?

Justify expertly handled the slop to become the first horse since 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without having competed as a 2-year-old.

Then he overcame a hoof bruise and fended off his Derby rival Good Magic in heavy fog while winning the Preakness on yet another sloppy track. Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert says he looks stronger and fitter than he did before his earlier two races.

Baffert is not shy about comparing Justify to his previous superstars American Pharoah, who became the first horse in 37 years to complete the sweep, and Arrogate, who last year became North America’s richest racehorse.

But Justify has packed a lot into a short time: This will be his sixth race since mid-February.

Who can challenge Justify?

Bravazo, who was sixth in the Derby and only a half-length behind Justify in the Preakness, seems to be improving at the right time, and his 82-yearold Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, knows how to win the Belmont, having won the 11/2-mile race four times.

Vino Rosso, ninth in the Derby, is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has won three Belmonts, and ridden by John Velazquez, who has won two.

And the sire of Hofburg, seventh in the Derby, has fathered the winner of three of the past four Belmonts.

Who else will steal headlines?

One major Derby storyline was thwarted before it fully took off when Gronkowski was withdrawn after developing a fever days after his namesake, the New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, bought a stake.

But the horse is back and is now paired with a top New York trainer-jockey combination in Chad Brown and Jose Ortiz.

Gronk, the player, is expected to be in attendance.

Where will this Belmont rank?

That depends if Justify can pull off the sweep.

Since 1932, 23 horses have won the first two legs but did not finish the job.

Even if Justify does win, it is hard to imagine the crowd erupting in as much rapture as it did three years ago when American Pharoah ran away from the field to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to capture the Crown.