The overwhelming majority of media attention in the run up to the Belmont Stakes has been about race favorite California Chrome and his bid to become only the 12th Triple Crown winner in history. While that’s understandable it’s important to keep in mind that there are 10 other horses in the field as well. There’s a growing opinion among horse racing enthusiasts that California Chrome’s biggest challenge could come from race second favorite Wicked Strong.

The horse with Boston roots and a decidedly Bostonian name has been among the top three year olds in the sport since his upset victory in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby. He finished a respectable 4th in the Derby but according to his connections the plan all along was to skip the Preakness Stakes unless he won the ‘Run for the Roses’. That’s proven to be a good strategy for success in the Belmont Stakes–7 of the last 14 Belmont Stakes winners ran in the Kentucky Derby but skipped the Preakness.

Wicked Strong had a tough run in the Derby, having to work through a lot of traffic and getting banged around in the big field which makes his 4th place finish all the more impressive and indicative of the horse’s tenacity and toughness. His connections insist that he’s fully recovered from the Kentucky Derby and are unconcerned about the fact that he hasn’t raced since then. Wicked Strong has looked very good in training and is starting to attract believers who are of the opinion that the California Chrome story won’t have a fairy tale ending and that Wicked Strong will be the beneficiary.

There wasn’t much hype surrounding Wicked Strong prior to his Wood Memorial victory due to his ‘good but not great’ past performances. Wicked Strong had won only one race prior to his Wood Victory, a maiden special weight last October. He had been competitive in most of his subsequent races but there was little to suggest that he was destined to run in the Kentucky Derby, let alone become one of the top three year olds in the sport.