I'm amazed that supposedly sophisticated racing fans are unable to properly interpret Mayan King's past performances. So please allow me to 'splain things to you.

1. He didn't race as a 2YO because of minor physical setbacks.

2. When he finally came out as a 3YO ... he won his first two times out.

3. Contessa ... always high on this horse ... put him on the Triple Crown trail ... but after shipping to Kentucky for his first stakes try ... he shattered a bone in his hind leg ... and had to sit out for 11 months.

4. Coming back with a steel bolt in his leg ... he won first time out.

5. Second start off the long layoff ... he ran into a very good horse in Rathor ... and put on a good show even though a one-turn 8f is short of his best distance of 10f.

6. Third start off the layoff ... he runs a mile on Friday just as fast as Silver Train runs the Met Mile on Saturday ... and he still had another 1/16 to go. He was so sharp that he ran on the front end ... after stalking in his previous three wins. He has now won four of the five races which he finished on four legs.

7. So Contessa takes the trouble to ship him ... plus Keith Partridge and a dufflebag full of biscotte ... all the way to Iowa ... to catch a softer field than the Suburban ... which may be a mistake ... but Belmont's leading trainer doesn't ship 1,000 miles just to see how corn grows.

There are a million ways that the best horse can lose a race ... especially when shipping and coming back from a serious injury ... but Mayan King is the clear quality in this race ... and if he runs back to his last win at Belmont ... he crushes this field.