I just did a quick run through the archives so I could have always missed something but I think I got them all back through 2003 (I will go back further later).
Since 2003, there have been 10 horses that have run in all three legs.
2010 - None
2009 - Mine That Bird and Flying Private
2008 - Big Brown
2007 - Curlin and Hard Spun
2006 - None
2005 - Afleet Alex and Giacomo
2004 - Smarty Jones
2003 - Funny Cide and Scrimshaw
Of those, only Mine that Bird paired his top in the Belmont. The others were either \"off\" or \"X\" with the majoirty backing up significantly.
I want to go back further before drawing any definitive conclusions but this tells me that the percentages aren\'t in our favor to play one of the 3 that is trying to run for the 3rd time in 5 weeks and that it\'s definitely worth trying to take a stand against all three of them and play for all of them to run out of the exotics.
Jimbo, per your prior post, I like Nehro to hit the board, just not to win.
I\'m sure you will (and should) get a lot of posts about distinctions in the patterns of those horses, but there\'s another point to make, and I\'m surprised nobody has made it yet. Trainers have wised up, and a lot more horses went into this year\'s Derby with more rest and/or less preps-- and the number of tops was higher than usual. What this is going to mean with some of these now is an interesting question-- again, what I didn\'t see before the Preakness was how much AK (two preps) looks like Mine That Bird. He still looks like him. And if Borel didn\'t have a brain cramp at Belmont...
So I\'m not as excited as I was about tossing him. But I just did go and look or the first time at the Belmont probables, and it\'s more interesting than I thought.
I went back 15 years earlier today. Here are the runners from 1996-2002 who raced in all three. Don\'t have the old T-G numbers, maybe, Jim, you can help fill in the blanks
2002 -- War Emblem, Proud Citizen, Medalgia d\'Oro
2001 -- Point Given, AP Valentine, Monarchos, Dollar Bill
2000 -- Impeachment
1999 -- Charasmatic, Adonis, Menifee, Stephen Got Even
1998 -- Victory Gallop, Real Quiet, Basic Trainee
1997 -- Silver Charm, Free House
1996 -- Editor\'s Note, Skip Away, Louis Quatorze, Prince of Thieves, Cavonnier,In Contention