This weekend will mark the 142nd renewal of one of my very favorite sporting events, the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.

Yes, I know. People say that the Belmont this year doesn’t have much luster. Not only is there no Triple Crown on the line, but neither the winner of the Kentucky Derby, Super Saver, nor the Preakness, Lookin at Lucky, will be in the field. And off the racetrack itself, the New York Racing Association’s continuing financial difficulties have created a distraction from its premier race.

Such carping misses the point. The Belmont is unique in American thoroughbred racing because of its distance, a grueling one and a half miles. (In contrast, the Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles and the Preakness is a slightly shorter 1 3/16 miles.) In most years, none of the runners have ever run the marathon Belmont distance before and none will ever attempt it again. The added distance in the Belmont obviously measures a horse’s stamina and heart as well as speed. In addition, because of the distance of the race and Belmont Park’s very long straightaways and lack of tight turns, the Belmont Stakes tends to be a truer test of ability than the Derby or the Preakness in that it the race is rarely decided by post positions, traffic or other types of racing “luck.”

While it would be nice to have a Triple Crown winner in the field, the runners going to the post on Saturday are no slouches.

One key contender, Ice Box, second in the Kentucky Derby, had a miserable time trying to wend his way around 19 other horses in that race over the wet Churchill Downs racing surface As recounted by racing writer Bill Finley, he was banged around early in the race, but his real problems came late in the race. “With his horse full of run, jockey Joe Lezcano tried to make his run on the inside only to run into a brick wall nearing the quarter-pole and was stopped cold. Lezcano regrouped and took his colt off the rail only to run into another traffic jam about 20 yards later. From there, he had to alter course two more times while desperately trying to find an open lane. He didn’t get running room until the field was nearing the 16th pole. At that point, he took off, passing nine horses, a remarkable number, only to fall short by 21/2 lengths.” A smoother journey in the Belmont might land Ice Box in the winner’s circle.

Another top runner, First Dude, finished a strong second in the Preakness. Unlike Ice Box, First Dude likes to run on the lead and led well into the stretch at Pimlico, despite setting a pace that was probably too ambitious for the distance of the race. Only grudgingly did First Dude yield to Lookin At Lucky, while holding second rather handily. It is something of a myth that the Belmont is typically won by closers and a repeat of First Dude’s performance in the Preakness would give the colt a decent shot on Saturday.

Nor will NYRA’s financial difficulties likely have an impact on Belmont Day. The legislature finally approved a loan to the racing association and there seems to be a reasonable likelihood that, after nine years, an operator will finally be named soon for the prospective Aqueduct casino. While there is more to be done (OTB reform, etc.), hope is returning to the local racing scene and there is every prospect of thrilling Belmonts for years to come.