Domain (5) has to be considered the horse to beat off his pair of runner-up finishes at Belmont. The two horses who beat him – both Centennial Farm runners – have a bit of talent. I thought Domain could have put up more of a fight on each occasion, but he’s undeniably a major player. Fireball Shot (2) has run just as well in his races, but he’s just had too many chances at this level. If the others fail to show up, I suppose he could finally graduate, but you’re generally supposed to bet against these horses. There are some alternatives to consider.

The one I want to bet is POINT TO REMEMBER (8), who should appreciate the stretch-out in distance. This horse showed promise right from the start when he finished second to eventual Wood Memorial winner Vino Rosso in his debut last fall at Aqueduct. It took him a while to get back to the races, and I suspect that his connections have been using his two runs in 2018 as stepping-stones to this race. Those distances – six to 6 1/2 furlongs – just appear to be too short for this son of the long-winded Point of Entry and the graded stakes-winning router Miss Isella. He got rolling late on each occasion, but he just didn’t possess the finishing speed to run down his rivals over a sprint distance. To his credit, he is coming out of what appeared to be a particularly strong race for the level, as the winner, Payne, looks to have a nice future. Over the past five years, Jimmy Jerkens is 10 for 39 (26 percent, $2.27 ROI) with horses stretching out for the first time on dirt. A more relaxed pace should allow him to settle into a more comfortable stalking position.

The horse who may find himself on the lead is Wooderson (6), and I don’t think you want to totally ignore this half-brother to Rachel Alexandra. He was resurgent in his debut after appearing to be well beaten at the top of the stretch, and then he was compromised by having to rate behind a very slow pace at Monmouth last time. He’s bred to handle the distance, and he figures to get a more aggressive ride this time.