Nbc analyst and six-time Triple Crown winner Jerry Bailey breaks down the battle between Orb and Oxbow at tomorrow’s Belmont Stakes with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: Do you see much of a difference between Orb and Oxbow?
A: Orb is probably a little more talented, but not by much. But Gary Stevens and Oxbow got into a nice rhythm at the Preakness because of the slow pace and he has the same chance in the Belmont because the fractions are usually slower cause of the length of that race.
Q: Any clue what happened to Orb in the Preakness?
A: I’ve watched it 10 times in the last 24 hours, and I just chalk it up to the Derby was such a hard race for him that maybe he was a little flat for the Preakness. I can tell you as a jockey they can train really well, but horses that react negatively to a hard race mostly never seem to display it until the subsequent race.
Q: Which horse would you think most likely to challenge Orb and Oxbow?
A: Overanalyze ran a style of race in the Arkansas Derby, although it was a very slow race for a prep, but he ran it like a grinder and just kept running those fractions. And that’s kind of what the Belmont is all about. I think he might be a little inferior of talent, but his style tells me the 1 1/2 miles is a pretty good fit for him.
Q: Were you happy for Gary Stevens after you two had so many battles through the years?
A: People don’t realize how much of a risk that was for him in the Preakness because he was up close early in the Derby and got a little bit of criticism, and rightfully so, so he was leaving himself open for criticism by putting him up front early in the Preakness. But he had the wisdom to know exactly how fast, or in this case slow — to know he could get away with it. But if you get beat doing that, man he’s going to catch a whole rash of criticism. So, it’s not quite as easy as he made it look in terms of the nerve it took to pull the trigger on that.
Q: And does his success have you thinking about coming out of retirement?
A: I have no desire to do that at this point, but it’s remarkable what he’s been able to do that at 50. And even more so being that he was out of the sport for seven years. It’s pretty wild. I take my hat off to him.