Best Bred For 1 1/2?

[PowerUpPaynter]

What horses do you guys think are best bred for the Belmont distance? I remember before the derby someone on here was saying Gormley met some angle for Belmont....

[Spalding No!]

Twisted Tom descends from Patelin (5th dam), who was one of the foundation mares for Buckland Farm which produced a veritable laundry list of long-winded horses.

The 3rd dam, Class Play, won the then 12f CCA Oaks over champion Life's Magic in 1984. 2nd dam Miss Turlington produced the very good 2yo turf colt Incurable Optimist, who was injured earlier on in his career but has gone on to be one of the best sires in Argentina for the last several years and sired 2 Argentine HOYs who won the 12f Carlos Pelligrini.

Coincidentally, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th dams of Twisted Tom were all covered by a Belmont Stakes winner (Thunder Gulch, Seattle Slew, and Stage Door Johnny respectively).

Twisted Tom is by Classic-placed Creative Cause, who is a full brother to last year's Belmont runner-up (by a nose) Destin.

[soonboomer]

I'd say it's Epicharis. By a multiple G-1 winning (on dirt) son of Sunday Silence out of a mare by Arc winning bred-in-the purple Carnegie. I don't know if he's fast enough, but if he's close at the eighth pole it could get interesting.

[burnsy]

I dont know if hes best bred for distance, hes pace compromised, but hes bred to run a piece and has back class. Looking At Lee, has Danzig, Smart Strike and a couple others that could run some ground. I think if theres a good pace, hes worth a look.

[Thomas Roulston]

Definitely Twisted Tom: DP 3-0-11-1-1, DI 1.13. Plus I like the idea that he gets to leave from the rail. I still can't believe when Smarty Jones' people won the draw to pick their post position first in 2004, and they chose the outside - a blunder that cost them the Triple Crown.

[deathandgravity]

BRIS Pedigree Ratings for distance isn't a bad indicator, or at least something to consider when handicapping the race.

Top rated BRIS Pedigree rating for last year was Creator. (shame I was out of the P4 by then)

Top 4 for 2017:
Tapwrit 119
Patch 116
Irish War Cry 115
J Boys Echo 114

No rating for Epicharis

[dilanesp]

Patch is clearly bred to go 12 furlongs.

He's by Union Rags (Belmont winner), his damsire is A.P. Indy (Belmont winner), and his grandsire is Seattle Slew (Belmont winner).

[rastajenk]

Top 4 for 2017:
Tapwrit 119
Patch 116
Irish War Cry 115
J Boys Echo 114
Worth a bump. I felt like I had to choose between Tapwrit and Patch in my verticals, but not both.