Despite lack of sizzle, Belmont Stakes shaping up as a very competitive race

The Belmont Stakes tends to find itself at the kids' table when there is no Triple Crown on the line. The buzz is muted, the mystique is softened and the race doesn't have the widespread appeal to those outside of New York or hardcore horse players.

But at 1 1/2 miles, the longest race in the Triple Crown series, the Belmont is generally a competitive race with storylines that make things interesting. Among those, no horse in Saturday's race has ever run that far.

But maybe the