News » 32 on the year compared with 21 for Reimer.

California Chrome is the 3-5 morning line favorite to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in racing history. Dennis Johnson Jersey . However, the last seven odds-on Belmont Stakes favorites have failed to win and complete the magnificent feat. You can watch the Belmont Stakes on TSN this Saturday, with coverage beginning at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt. One has to go all the way back to 1978 when Affirmed held off Alydar at 3-5 to find the last odds-on betting choice to grab hold of the final leg of horse racings Triple Crown. In fact, Affirmed was the fourth straight odds-on winner following the footsteps of Seattle Slew (2-5), Bold Forbes (4-5) and Secretariat (1-9). Between the years 1958 and 1971, only one of eight odds-on betting favorites in the Belmont came home on top - Damascus (4-5) in 1967. Finally, half of the first 14 odds-on choices crossed the wire first. Overall, this type of favorite holds just 12 victories in 33 overall starts. It must be mentioned that there were two odds-on choices in 1957. Gallant Man (19-20) crossed the wire first while Bold Ruler (17-20) finished third. The bottom line is there have been only 12 winners out of 32 races since mutuels began in New York in 1940. Thats a 37.5 percent winning percentage. Moreover, of the 19 horses in line for the Triple Crown sweep, just six came home victorious. That amounts to a 33 percent winning percentage. Five of the Kentucky Derby-Preakness winners ran second in the Belmont Stakes with Real Quiet (4-5 in 1998) coming the closest, losing by a nose to Victory Gallop. The four others were Pensive (1-2 in 1944), Tim Tam (3-20 in 1958), Sunday Silence (4-5 in 1989) and Smarty Jones (2-5 in 2004). Three more finished third - Northern Dancer (4-5 in 1964), Spectacular Bid (1-5 in 1979) and Pleasant Colony (4-5 in 1981). Five finished off the board, including Big Brown (2008) - the last horse vying for the Triple Crown that ran in the Belmont (Ill Have Another in 2012 was injured and did not race in the final leg). There also is another key factor that plays against California Chrome and that is field size. The six Triple Crown winners between 1941 and 1978 won the Belmont Stakes against a combined 27 other horses, which amounts to an average of 3.5 horses per race. The 13 horses that failed to win the Triple Crown had 110 challengers, which means those colts ran against an average of 8.5 horses per race. This year, the Belmont Stakes has a field of 11, which ties for the second- most entrants behind the 1971 edition when Canonero II finished fourth at 3-5. The 1966, 1981 and 1998 renewals also had 10 other horses competing against odds-on Derby-Preakness winners Kauai King, Pleasant Colony and Real Quiet, respectively. All three of those horses lost the Belmont Stakes. California Chrome is by far the most talented member of this 3-year-old crop. He owns tremendous tactical speed, which should place him on or just off the early lead. Only Samraat and Tonalist, and to a less extent, General a Rod, have decent gate speed, so jockey Victor Espinoza will not have much of a crowd in front of him. We will see if the colt is good enough to overcome what so many have failed to accomplish over the last 36 years. THE PRETENDERS There are two horses that have no business being in the race - Matterhorn and Matuszak. The former has not won since last November while the latter hasnt won since September. Three other colts have better bodies of work than that pair but should still finish off the board. They are General a Rod, Commissioner and Samraat. General a Rod has the pedigree to be successful at the 1 1/2-mile distance, but he sure does not run like it. It is true he had a terrible trip in the Preakness, but dont look for any improvement from a horse that might not have been entered in the Belmont if his stablemate, Intense Holiday, did not come down with an injury. Commissioner showed more speed in the Peter Pan than he ever had before, but that may have occurred due to the sloppy Belmont surface that day. An argument could be made that a horse not expected to vie for the early lead could jump up and do so and this colt might be the one. Either on the pace or off, dont expect the Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-old to be around when the true running begins. Samraat ran a very good fifth in the Kentucky Derby - his second straight loss after opening with five wins in his first five outings. His breeding does not suggest he will appreciate the added distance, so it is best to side with others. INTRIGUING POSSIBILITIES Commanding Curve comes into the Belmont Stakes off a second-place finish to California Chrome in the Kentucky Derby. He is one of four horses in the field to have run in the Derby and pass the Preakness. Commanding Curve also had the easiest of trips in the first leg of the Triple Crown, unlike a few others entered in the Belmont. The son of Master Command has been training well and certainly is a horse to use in the exotics. However, he is doubtful to cross the wire first. Ride On Curlin represents the closest finisher to California Chrome considering the latter has strung together six consecutive victories. Nevertheless, the Belmont Stakes will be Ride On Curlins fourth race in the last eight weeks and that might be too much, especially on the heels of a 1 1/2-mile event. THE FINAL FOUR Filling out the final spot in the superfecta will be Tonalist. The Peter Pan winner has done nothing wrong as a 3-year-old, winning two of three starts with a second to Florida Derby winner Constitution in his only other race - an allowance event on a speed-favoring Gulfstream Park track. Three main reasons why he wont hit the board are: 1. his lack of experience (four career races), 2. he will be on the pace and will use too much energy trying to square off with California Chrome, and 3. breaking from the No. 11 post position will make for a longer trip into the first turn. Medal Count ran a very good eighth in the Kentucky Derby considering Danza cut him off approaching the eighth-pole. His momentum was completely stopped and he still finished less than two lengths from finishing fourth. The Dale Romans-trained son of Dynaformer not only should love the 12 furlongs, but he also has been working well at Churchill Downs. Finally, he has had five weeks off after racing three times in a month. That leaves California Chrome and Wicked Strong as the two most probable winners. Not surprisingly, they are the top two choices on the morning line. Wicked Strong has been working out on the Belmont training track, but he is one of only three horses in the field with a win over the main track (Samraat and Tonalist are the other two). The fourth-place Derby finisher broke poorly from the far outside post position on the first Saturday in May and was caught very wide going into the first turn. He eventually closed from 14th to a fourth-place finish at the wire. A better trip is expected on Saturday. Its been 36 years since Affirmed last won the last Triple Crown. Among the horses that have failed have been speed types (Smarty Jones, War Emblem and Sunday Silence), stalkers (Big Brown, Funny Cide, Silver Charm and Spectacular Bid), middle movers (Real Quiet and Charismatic) and closers (Pleasant Colony and Alysheba). California Chrome falls into the first category. If the pace is slow, he might be on the lead. If not, look for him to sit a couple lengths off, as he did in the first two Triple Crown races. A victory on Saturday will put to rest all the talk of having to alter either the distances or the span of time in between the three races. A loss and the discussions will ignite once again. Will he win? That is the million dollar question. Is he a good bet to cross the wire first at odds-on? History says no. THE BELMONT WAGER This will be a winning season regardless of what happens since the $50 wager on the California Chrome-Ride On Curlin exacta came through for a cool $455 return. With a mythical $100 Belmont Stakes wager, bet $35 on a Wicked Strong- California Chrome exacta and $30 the other way. In addition, bet $15 on a California Chrome-Medal Count exacta and $10 the other way. And just in case the favorite fails to fire, use Wicked Strong and Medal Count in a $5 exacta box. Aron Baynes Jersey . "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on. Robert Parish Jersey . - The Green Bay Packers got back to work on Friday without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/Al-Horford-Jersey/ . With the Canadiens leading by one to start the third period, Price turned away 16 shots by the Panthers in the final frame to give Montreal a 2-1 victory over Florida on Monday night. The Panthers (16-21-6) outshot Montreal 16-10 in the final frame, but were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 26 saves on the night.WINNIPEG – As an early afternoon practice wrapped in the blustery Manitoba capital of Winnipeg, Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle ambled over to James Reimer, stretching just outside the visitors crease, and offered a quick word. He, the 25-year-old Toronto backup net-minder and Manitoba native, would be making just his fourth start in the past 16 games against the Jets the following evening. It was the word of opportunity for Reimer, who has fallen into the role of backup, outmatched in recent weeks by Jonathan Bernier, his Quebec counterpart. "Its been," said Reimer in conversation with the Leaf Report, pausing briefly to choose his words, "its been an interesting year. Thats maybe the best way I can describe it." More than eight months after he steered the Leafs into their first playoff appearance in nine years and Reimer is no longer the no. 1 guy in Toronto. Bernier has wrestled hold of that mantle for the time being, earning the bulk of starts since the middle of December – 32 on the year compared with 21 for Reimer. Challenged, doubted, and dissected often throughout his 127-game NHL career, be it through summer trade talk for Roberto Luongo, deadline trade talk for Miikka Kiprusoff or a concussion that badly derailed his first full season, Reimer has managed to overcome a series of different hurdles in his tenure as a Leaf, but maybe nothing quite like this. Bernier is not a rumoured threat, nor a nagging injury to bypass, but a feisty challenger itching to prove himself in the spotlight. And thus far, the 25-year-old has taken full advantage of the opportunity hes been granted in Toronto, sitting amongst the top-10 in league save percentage (.925), while eventually establishing himself as the Leafs undeclared no. 1 starter. The looming challenge for Reimer is to snatch the job right back. And he plans to fight for it. He has not and has no intention of asking for a trade out of Toronto despite circumstances (Bernier trade, a proven track record) that might have led others in his situation to stray down that path. "Your end goal is to be the guy and you want that, but youve got to focus on everyday what I need to do so that that can happen," said Reimer. "Its like I want to win the Cup, but its not like every day I hit the ice Im going to win the Cup. I want to win the Cup, but when I hit the ice its what do I need to do to be the best I can be. And if you focus on that everyday then eventually the Cup will come. "Same with this (situation). Its obviously something you want. Its something you really want. But youve got to focus on a lot smaller goals." Those goals start with making full use of the opportunities he gets, however infrequent, and reshape a race that is likely far from over. One such oopportunity presented itself earlier this week in Denver, Reimer propelling the Leafs to an unlikely 5-2 win over the Avalanche with 35 big saves. John Havlicek Jersey. And now another opportunity looms against the Jets on Saturday evening, his club looking to avenge a 7-1 loss in Dallas two nights earlier. Reimers only real control in the matter of playing time is performance. And though he started with a bang in October – a gaudy .949 save percentage in six games – that performance has dipped downward (albeit with little help in some situations) with Bernier proving the more reliable and consistent of the two. "Thats exactly the way you approach it," Reimer said of earning more starts with performance. "You try not to look ahead. You try not to say Id like to get 10 out of 12 (starts) or 10 out of 20, or whatever, three out of seven, whatever it may be. "To me, when I get the nod I want to go out there and play my heart out." This is unfamiliar terrain for the Morweena native, that of the NHL backup. Though he very briefly battled with Ben Scrivens at the outset of last season, Reimer has quickly defined himself as a viable starter in the league, finishing 2013 with eighth best save percentage while steering the Leafs to a near-first round upset of the Bruins in the playoffs. He owns an impressive 63-38-15 career mark with a sturdy .915 save percentage. Falling into the role of second fiddle, thus, has been a challenge, mostly in the mental arena. "Its 105 per cent mental, I think, this game," said Reimer. "Its all about trying to be in the right mindset and trying to stay positive and knowing that when you have the extra time to work on stuff thats what youve got to do. Youve got to work your butt off so that when you get the nod youre as prepared as you can (be)." His longer-term future in Toronto remains murky at best. Reimer is a restricted free agent this summer with Bernier locked up for another year. In theory, the organization could opt to keep both – though Reimer holds arbitration rights and would seem to hold a pretty good case for a good raise – but more than likely one will be gone by next fall, if not sooner. Both want and have earned the right to start. The choice will ultimately belong to general manager Dave Nonis, who brought Bernier into the fold from Los Angeles in his first big splash as the Maple Leafs boss last summer. Reimer wants to stay and wont ask to go. But he also wants to play and intends to fight to do so. "I feel like Im becoming a better person for it or at least I hope so," he said of the experience this season. "I feel like Im battling and grinding and trying to do everything I can. As far as I know if youre doing that then thats all you can do." 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