ELMONT, N.Y. – Rich Strike wasn’t even on anyone’s radar heading into the Kentucky Derby because his chances of even getting into the race seemed unlikely. Even once in the race, his chances still seemed remote, hence his 80-1 price. But now all eyes are on Rich Strike heading into the Belmont Stakes on Saturday for one simple reason, to see if his Derby win was a fluke, or a preview of coming attractions. Rich Strike purposely was kept out of the Preakness to await the Belmont, giving him the same five weeks he had from his final Derby prep, the Jeff Ruby, into the Derby. From all indications he’s given this week here at Belmont Park, he’s continued on an upward trajectory. Rich Strike has galloped around the course, particularly on Tuesday morning, like a horse who’s thriving. “It’s the perfect time to mature,” said his trainer, Eric Reed. But to win the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, Rich Strike will have to deal with a pace that won’t be close to the white-hot fractions that supported his late run at Churchill Downs. We the People figures to be loose on the lead, and every other horse in the race, including Rich Strike, likely is going to have to adjust to some degree. “He’ll still drop back,” Reed said. “That’s just his style of running. But he definitely won’t be coming from way, way back.” :: Get Belmont Stakes Day Betting Strategies for exclusive wager recommendations, contender profiles, and more. The Belmont also includes two entrants – Mo Donegal and Nest – from Todd Pletcher, who has become the dominant trainer in this race over the past 15 years, with three wins and five seconds from 27 starters. Eight are entered in the Belmont, the third time the field has been at that size in the past eight years. If there’s a scratch, seven would be the smallest field since Rags to Riches beat the boys in 2007. The $1.5 million Belmont, one lap around this expansive oval, will be run for the 154th time Saturday. It is race 11 on a 13-race card that begins at 11:20 a.m. Eastern and doesn’t end until after 8. It is one of eight Grade 1 races to be run here Saturday. The fields in many of the races are small, but the quality at the top is elite. Flightline and Speaker’s Corner throw it down in the Metropolitan Mile, their presence pushing Aloha West, merely a Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, to the background of this important race for older horses. Champions Letruska and Malathaat tangle in the Ogden Phipps for older dirt females. Another champion, Echo Zulu, heads the Acorn for 3-year-old fillies in her first start since a brave performance in defeat in the Kentucky Oaks. Trainer Chad Brown sends out three of the five female grass horses in the Just a Game, including division leaders Regal Glory and Speak of the Devil, and he’s got the overwhelming favorite in the Woody Stephens in unbeaten 3-year-old Jack Christopher. Four of those early Grade 1 races have five-horse fields, and the other has six. The Manhattan, for older grass runners, drew a field of 10, headed by Channel Maker, Gufo, Highland Chief, and Santin; and the Jaipur, for older grass sprinters, attracted 13, including Arrest Me Red, who won a similar race on Derby eve at Churchill Downs, and the race’s defending winner, Casa Creed. Another returning race winner from the 2021 Belmont card, Lone Rock, heads the field in the Grade 2 Brooklyn for older long-distance dirt horses. :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Join DRF Bets and get a $250 deposit match bonus, $10 free bet, and access to FREE DRF Formulator! Conditions for Saturday have improved as the week has progressed. Though heavy rain and storms were predicted for Thursday, it was forecast to be dry Friday, with temperatures falling through Saturday, when the high temperature is predicted by Weather.com to be 73 degrees, with a 30 percent chance of rain, a decrease from the long-range forecast earlier in the week. Rich Strike won the Derby over a dry, fast track. The race shape was paramount, as the opening quarter was the fastest in Derby history. Yes, it set up his late run. But it also set up the late run of Derby runners like Barber Road and Mo Donegal, whom Rich Strike outran that day and will attempt to do so again Saturday. Reed said he’s watched the Derby replay a number of times, and said he “still has a hard time” wrapping his head around the fact that he’s now a Derby winner. “Watching the video, it gets pretty emotional,” he said. We the People is the horse to catch. His 103 Beyer Speed Figure in the Peter Pan, earned under optimum conditions, was two points higher than what Rich Strike got in the Derby. And though the performance may have been dressed up, We the People might get a similar scenario Saturday, and there’s the very real possibility the highly regarded colt has finally found his groove. His only loss came in the Arkansas Derby, in which We the People failed to make the lead, was caught wide, and never looked comfortable. “I put a line through it,” said his trainer, Rodolphe Brisset, who said the loss had one advantage. “The pressure’s off when you’re beat once,” he said, laughing. Mo Donegal, the Wood Memorial winner, was a late-running fifth in the Derby after starting from the rail and getting shuffled back early to 19th in the field of 20. “He was compromised at the break,” Pletcher said. “It wasn’t just being in the one hole. He loaded first, was in there a long time, hesitated. He was 19th instead of 11th or 12th. That made a significant difference, I believe.” :: DRF has you covered! Get everything you need to win big on Belmont Stakes Day with a Winner's Package and get 41% off the retail price. Nest, second in the Kentucky Oaks last time out and whose pedigree is chock-full of Belmont influences, “has given us every indication to keep pointing in this direction,” Pletcher said. “Back in January we nominated her to the Triple Crown because of the Belmont,” Pletcher said. “It wasn’t because we were thinking Derby or Preakness.” Creative Minister, who only began racing in March, has come a long ways in a short amount of time and was third most recently in the Preakness. He’s never gone backward on his Beyer Figures, so his ceiling is yet unknown. “He’s progressed every race,” said his trainer, Kenny McPeek, who won this race 20 years ago with Sarava. “He’s got to do it one more time.” Barber Road was sixth in the Derby, finishing 4 3/4 lengths behind Rich Strike and only a length back of Mo Donegal. He’s winless this year, but fires every time and lands Joel Rosario for the first time. Golden Glider, a distant second to We the People in the Peter Pan, and the one-paced Skippylongstocking, fifth in the Preakness and third to Mo Donegal in the Wood Memorial, will be the race longshots.