We may end up seeing Baffert do this again in the winner's circle on Saturday.

So I was wrong. Shoot me.

War Emblem is going to win Saturday. I can explain.

Obviously, when that infamous column was written no one knew War Emblem was War Emblem. He had merely won the Illinois Derby, which, at the time, looked like a nothing race won by a nothing horse who had snuck away and got away with dawdling fractions over a speed-favoring track. Owner Russell Reineman and trainer Bobby Springer were so unimpressed by the accomplishment they were going to pass the Kentucky Derby and point for the Preakness.

The horse, a mediocrity for the first five races of his career, woke up one morning and was a very good horse. Who could have guessed?

But that's not why he will win the Triple Crown. He will win because this Belmont is missing the type of serious challenger that has tripped up potential Triple Crown winners in the past. War Emblem will meet 11 others Saturday and, face it, not a one of them is anything special. And that's being kind because, well, that's the kind of guy I am.

Since Affirmed won the Trprown in 1978, the last time the feat has been achieved, seven potential Triple Crown winners were defeated in the Belmont Stakes. Some were great (Spectacular Bid), some were very good (Sunday Silence) and some just weren't that special (Real Quiet). The common denominator is that each faced an exceptional animal who had the ability to beat the Triple Crown hopeful on the right day.

It started with Coastal, who beat Spectacular Bid in 1979. Summing, not a bad horse either, conquered Pleasant Colony. In recent years, it got even tougher for Triple Crown hopefuls. The conquerors were named Bet Twice, Easy Goer, Touch Gold, Victory Gallop and Lemon Drop Kid. Easy Goer was a superstar in his own right. Touch Gold, when right, might have been better than Silver Charm. Victory Gallop had already waged a couple of valiant fights against Real Quiet. There wasn't much separating the two.

There's no Victory Gallop this year, no Easy Goer. Among the 11 competitors there is not one Grade I winner. Who's going to beat this horse?

Proud Citizen is an honest enough horse and he did have a wide trip in the Preakness, but he's tried War Emblem twice and simply wasn't good enough either time.

The hype for Sunday Break is hard to fathom. He turned in a fair effort in the Wood Memorial, but wasn't good enough against a group that, in hindsight, doesn't look that good. He beat a slow allowance horse in Puzzlement in the Peter Pan, running a Beyer figure that doesn't put him in War Emblem's league. He needs to improve 10 lengths, a tall order. Wiseman's Ferry is an interesting horse, but it's an awfully big jump from Tracemark and Peekskill in the Lone Star Derby to War Emblem in the Belmont Stakes.

Magic Weisner and Perfect Drift are nice enough horses, but War Emblem has already beaten both and neither had an excuse in defeat. We've seen their best and it wasn't good enough. Medaglia D'oro was awful in the Preakness. Essence of Dubai was awful in the Kentucky Derby. Artax Too, Like A Hero, Puzzlement and Sarava are outclassed.

None of this is meant as a knock on War Emblem. Who knows how good he is or how deserving he is? He's having a hard time getting any respect because it's hard to believe that this is the same horse who was beaten by Easyfromthegitgo in the Lecomte and crushed by Repent in the Risen Star. I always believed that the Gods of the Triple Crown find a way to deny the undeserving (e.g. Kauai King, Real Quiet). I'm not entirely sure this horse isn't deserving. He has been that good in the first two legs of the Triple Crown. The Preakness proved that there was nothing fluky about his Derby win.

War Emblem and Bob Baffert arrived in New York Wednesday and Baffert was as confident as ever. He should be. All War Emblem has to do is run his race. The competition -- at least not this bunch -- can't beat him