The Weekly Dis
Belmont picks from the semi-reliable Disrespected Horse Racing Desk. Also, Henrik Rydström lands with Hammarby.
Today brings the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes. As extensive renovations continue at Belmont Park, next to Islanders Arena in Elmont, N.Y., the third leg of the Triple Crown will once again be staged at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., known colloquially as "'Toga" or "The Spa."
Fun fact: Saratoga Race Course (founded 1863) is actually older than the Belmont Stakes (1867),
The Belmont at Saratoga is 1 1/4 miles instead of 1 1/2 miles, so it's not exactly "The Test of the Champion" in the way that the Big Sandy is. This year, it's more like a Kentucky Derby rematch.
It's the same distance. Derby winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade are two of five horses in the field who also raced in Louisville on the first Saturday in May. The others are Chief Wallabee (fourth at the Derby), Commandment (seventh) and Emerging Market (10th).
The semi-reliable Disrespected Horse Racing Desk is proving its semi-reliability: For the Kenucky Derby, I made one pick – the 23-1 shot winner, Golden Tempo – and two of the three other Disrespected HRD members had Renegade, who finished second, on their cards. For the Preakness, Bob "The Clanchise" Clancy picked the 12-1 winner, Napoleon Solo.
The Disrespected HRD consists of Clancy, former horse racing editor at the Hartford Courant, Don Davis, of the Clintonville Davis dynasty, and Nicole Kraft, longtime racing writer, lifelong equestrian and professor of journalism at the university located near old North High School.
Here we go.
Nicole Kraft
The Belmont Stakes still has the cachet of being the third jewel of the Triple Crown, but at 1¼ miles over Saratoga it’s not the true test of a champion, as it is billed. That puts more weight on tactical speed and trip. Golden Tempo earned the Derby, but he is not Sovereignty (yet).
I believed in Emerging Market before the Derby and have not lost faith despite his loss in May. He has rateable speed and a pedigree for the distance, and comes into the race fresh. In a nine-horse field with a cleaner trip, he is the kind of colt who can jump forward.
Renegade had every excuse after breaking from the rail, getting bumped and still closing to miss by only a neck in the Derby. He should get a cleaner trip in here.
Commandment adds the legendary John Velazquez and had legitimate trouble when seventh in the Derby. Don’t overlook him.
Don Davis
1. Commandment: Going back to my pick for the Derby. I thought the ride Saez gave him in the Derby was puzzling. The switch to Johnny V is a much better fit. Brad Cox has confidence in his horse and itching for this rematch. The odds should be 6-1 or better. He wins a three-way photo with Renegade and Chief Wallabee.
2. Renegade: Ran the best race in the Derby. Stellar connections with Irad Ortiz and Todd Pletcher. Will be much closer to the lead, probably top 3. He’s likely get the first run on the speed and will come up just short.
3. Chief Wallabee: Raced evenly in the Derby making up ground in the last quarter mile. Love the way this one has been working at Saratoga. Same connections as last year’s Belmont winner. Should sit just off the pace and follow Renegade down the stretch.
Bob Clancy
1. Powershift can be more than a pace factor. Might be the fastest horse in the race despite coming off just a maiden score. Trainer Todd Pletcher does some of his best work at this time of year (four Belmont Stakes wins downstate). And jockey Luis Saez won this race two years ago at the Spa with Dornoch. Repels any early challenge, arrives at the quarter pole on the lead and digs in through the stretch. Can pull off the upset if he fires his best shot.
2. Renegade is very logical. Might have been best in the Derby; dreaded No. 1 post was clearly costly. Might sweep to the lead turning for home and never look back. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides for Pletcher. What more do you want?
3. Chief Wallabee is talented enough to give the Alvarado/Mott team back-to-back Belmont wins (Sovereignty). Seems to have progressed more than Commandment (beat the Chief twice in Florida).
4. Golden Tempo faces a different pace scenario this time around. Derby winner can still close for a share.
Michael Arace
My M.O. is to stay saddled on the Derby-winning horse that I picked. There's an emotional attachment there. It feels like a betrayal to get off of Golden Tempo, but I hate him in this race. There's no way everything breaks his way in the Belmont the way everything broke his way at the Derby, when stars aligned for a perfect pace, a perfect trip and a perfect ride that allowed him to come from the clouds.
Clancy, who picked the Preakness winner, is once again sticking his neck out with Powershift. He's putting his money on the nose of a horse that will have to go wire-to-wire, which is not out of the question – especially if it rains.
I'm putting $2 on the nose of a different long shot, Growth Equity. I don't like that he's taking a big step up in class, that his speed figures are underwhelming and he's never run 1 1/4 miles. I do like that he has excellent tactical speed, that his speed figures have been improving and that trainer Chad Brown, one of the best in the business, has been stretching out the horse to improve his stamina. I'm betting he's ready to fire.
And if it rains – there's a 30% chance at last check – I go from liking to absolutely adoring Growth Equity.
I'm putting Commandment and Emerging Market underneath. Then Renegade.
Rydstrom lands at Hammarby
From Hammarbyfotball.se:
Hammarby has agreed with Henrik Rydström to take over as head coach of the men's team with immediate effect. At the same time, Theo Olsson joins as the new assistant coach. The contract is valid until 2028.
"It feels incredibly exciting. As a coach, Hammarby is an environment that I have been looking at for some time, and now that I get to be a part of it, it feels fantastic," says Henrik Rydström.
"We are very happy to have recruited a coach of Henrik's caliber. Henrik stands for clear and strong leadership, he has a clear development focus, high demands in everyday training and wants to play football within the framework of our game idea. He also has a passion for winning and good experience of European play," says Hammarby's sports director Mikael Hjelmberg.
Henrik Rydström most recently came from a mission in the USA and the MLS club Columbus Crew, where he moved after leaving his job as head coach at Malmö FF in 2025. In MFF, he led the team to two Swedish championship titles, a cup title and games in the Europa League league phase for two seasons.
"I have looked at Hammarby from the outside and think that over time the club has made sporting decisions that are very interesting and that from a coaching perspective create opportunities to build a very strong team," says Henrik Rydström.
The 50-year-old was a big Allsvenskan profile as a player and made over 800 matches at Kalmar FF, where the given highlight was the Swedish championship title in 2008.
His coaching career began at the same club, where he had two successful stays as head coach with an appreciated interlude at IK Sirius. In Uppsala, he first met Theo Olsson, who has followed him as an assistant coach in both Malmö and Columbus and will now have the same role in Hammarby.
"Part of the work of running a football club is to constantly evaluate where we are going. As for the coaching role, the development environment and the team's performance are central parts of this evaluation. When we have analyzed where we are and how we are going to move forward, we have arrived at the conclusion that, based on creating as good an everyday life as possible, and thereby increasing the likelihood of performances that get better and better, we will be stronger with Henrik Rydström as head coach going forward - and that we will also add additional resources to the coaching staff with Theodor Olsson as assistant coach.
"Henrik has a short starting distance, and we expect him to make his mark on the training ground immediately," continues von Heijne.
Henrik Rydström will lead his first training on Monday, June 15.
Gregg Berhalter, you may recall, spent a year-plus coaching Harmmarby (Dec. 2011 through July 2013), He was the first American-born manager to coach a team in Europe. In his next job, he took over as sporting director/coach of the Columbus Crew.
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Michael Arace
