A tasty Belmont wrap

Bad luck is as much a part of a horse player's day as a vegetable is a vegetarian's.

Whereas the regular world was shocked at the late-hour scratch of Triple Crown candidate I'll Have Another -- it was a little like LeBron James hitting his head on the rim during warm-ups and having to sit out -- horse players were dismayed, not flabbergasted, and it was a shame, not shocking, because the worst that can happen is a frequent occurrence at the racetrack.

Bad luck at the horse races is not like a bad beat at cards. Bad poker beats are statistical frights that even out over time. Bad luck at the horse races can kill an animal, maim a rider, can make a horse player take financial losses personally, as though he or she was being punished for a bad deed done years ago.

With the unusual training outline for I'll Have Another -- lots of jogs, no works -- and with the late scratch keeping the Belmont Stakes from becoming a social summit meeting and a cultural watershed, the race turned into an old-fashioned, down-and-dirty horse race meant for gambling.

Here is some of what we should have learned.

A whole lot of supposedly learned horse race people don't know much about handicapping.

Many said Union Rags couldn't get a mile and a half. Well, he did, didn't he. He got a mile and a half and a foot.

A jockey change can be a major plus.

The worst play of the day was on the ultra-trendy Dullahan, the favorite, of all things. This one proved once again that Beetlebaum closers at shorter distances have no relevancy at a mile and a half. Dullahan has never won on the dirt and had a bullet work, probably the last thing you'd want going into a marathon. He finished seventh.

Speaking of investing and picking and knowing certain things, I had Union Rags and Paynter 1-2; how about that.

Write to Jay at jaycronley@yahoo.com.

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