I'm not so sure that I agree that the Belmont Stakes is becoming a race that sets horses back either.
4 of the 7 2nd place finishers in the Belmont Stakes this decade---went on to later capture a Grade 1 race.
In an 11 year span from '89-to-'99---9 of the 11 Belmont Stakes winners would return to later capture a Grade 1 race. The only two who didn't would be Tabasco Cat (2nd in the Breeders Cup Classic) and Go And Go.
If the horse is doing real well---he probably ought to run in the Belmont, as the 2nd choice in the betting (possibly even a razor thin favorite) against a small field---if not, I expect he will take the Haskell-to-Travers-to-Classic route.....with a possible stop in a stake at the Meadowlands or the Jockey Club Gold Cup in between the Travers and Classic.
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