Hofburg: Sire Tapit has been represented by 3 of the last 4 winners of the Belmont Stakes, and no one will be stunned if that streak continues via the late-running Hofburg. He traveled through the wire best of all in Louisville after a troubled trip. He’s a maternal grandson of Belmont winner Touch Gold, and his trainer Bill Mott scored his race in 2010 with Drosselmeyer. Keep in mind that half of the 18 Belmont winners this new millennium were horses who ran in the Derby and skipped the Preakness. Value will be the key estimation for gamblers. Yes, we like his win chances. But Hofburg has yet to win a stakes race and deep closers generally don’t fare best at Belmont. Despite much pre-race talk in the racing media, he was a shocking 27-1 to me in the Derby. With a Triple Crown on the line and more casual money in the win pool than a typical Belmont Stakes, that could benefit Hofburg like it did in the Derby, price-wise. He may be closer to 10-1 than the shorter price most think he will (and should) be.