TACITUS was one of only a few horses to have had any kind of a trip excuse in the Kentucky Derby. He lost position early and then had to take plenty of dirt while in behind horses, and he was finishing as well as anyone to get up for fourth (placed third after the disqualification of Maximum Security). He was withheld from the Preakness to await this race, and skipping the middle leg of the Triple Crown with a Derby also-ran has led to Belmont success in recent years. A winner of a pair of Derby preps while showing some nice versatility and an ability to overcome adversity on the track, Tacitus gives the impression that the distance of the Belmont will be no issue for him. He is certainly bred to run this far, and he is a 3-year-old with plenty of room still to improve. The morning-line favorite for the Belmont Stakes, he looks ready to take a spot at the top of this division heading into the second half of the year. Even in this time of racehorses being managed rather than raced, INTREPID HEART lacks the seasoning one might want to have in hand for a 3-year-old heading into the most demanding race of the year. He will try to make up for that shortcoming with talent and pedigree. By Tapit, the sire of the last three Belmont winners not going for a Triple Crown, and a half-brother to 2014 Belmont runner-up Commissioner, Intrepid Heart should have no trouble going this far. He showed plenty of raw ability while winning his first two starts before stumbling at the start and settling for third last time in a Grade 3 Peter Pan that came back with a fast figure. :: Belmont Stakes one-stop shop: Get Clocker Reports, PPs, packages, and more WAR OF WILL was a promising 2-year-old on turf, but he made the switch to dirt last November and enters this Belmont as the lone Grade 1 winner in the field. After having his final prep for the Derby fail to go as planned, he was front and center in the incident that led to Maximum Security’s disqualification in the Derby before fading to finish eighth (placed seventh). The Preakness came up soft for him with the top four from the Derby electing to pass, and he took advantage to become a classic winner while sitting a perfect trip. He is easy to root for as the only member of the crop to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown, but this race will be a bit tougher for him. BOURBON WAR was a new face in the Preakness after missing the Derby, and he went off at a shorter price than War of Will. But he did not appear to respond well to the addition of blinkers and went evenly around the track without making an impact. The blinkers come off for this race, and he showed enough in the early season preps to be given another chance here.