Belmont Stakes 2021 Contenders: Essential Quality and More Favorites

There may not be a Triple Crown in play this year, but there are still plenty of intriguing storylines heading into the 2021 Belmont Stakes, which is set for Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Can Essential Quality win after falling short at the Kentucky Derby? Will Preakness champion Rombauer follow up his previous strong performance with another impressive victory, or will another horse emerge from the field of eight to earn the victory at the final race on the Triple Crown schedule?

Here's a closer look at the top contenders for this year's Belmont, along with their odds to win.

Prior to competing in the Kentucky Derby, Essential Quality had never lost a race. He won each of the first five of his career, which included victories at the Southwest Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes earlier in the year. The colt finished fourth in the Derby, ending up behind Medina Spirit, Mandaloun and Hot Rod Charlie.

Like he was for the Derby, Essential Quality is the favorite heading into the race. And he's again looking to give trainer Brad Cox his first victory at a Triple Crown event. The colt will be ridden by jockey Luis Saez, who also has never been victorious at any of those three races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont).

Starting from the No. 2 post, Essential Quality will have a strong chance to bounce back from his Derby performance with a better showing in the Belmont.

"He ran what I thought was a winning race in the Derby; he didn't have the trip, but he showed up and he's been improving in every start," Cox said, per the Paulick Report.

If that's the case, then Essential Quality could pace the eight-horse field and race to victory Saturday.

Rombauer didn't participate in the Kentucky Derby, and before that, the colt had mixed results. In six career races, he had two wins, including one at the El Camino Real Derby in February. But heading into the Preakness Stakes, he was coming off a third-place finish at the Blue Grass Stakes in April.

At one point during the Preakness, it didn't seem like Rombauer was going to win. There were strong horses at the front of the field, and it was going to take an impressive move for Rombauer to get to the front.

But that's exactly what happened. Rombauer overtook Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit and Midnight Bourbon down the stretch, racing to victory and giving trainer Michael McCarthy his first career win at a Triple Crown event.

It was also the first career Belmont victory for jockey Flavien Prat. But Prat won't be Rombauer's jockey for the Belmont, as he had already agreed to ride Hot Rod Charlie in the race. Instead, Rombauer will be ridden by John Velazquez, a two-time winner at the Belmont.

Rombauer, who is starting from the No. 3 post, won't be a Triple Crown champion, but he could end up the winner of both the Preakness and the Belmont. And that would be an impressive three-week run for this colt.

Hot Rod Charlie has finished in the top three in each of his past five races, and it wouldn't be surprising if the colt had another strong showing at the Belmont. He won the Louisiana Derby in March and went on to place third in the Kentucky Derby.

After not racing in the Preakness, Hot Rod Charlie returns to action Saturday expected to be one of the top contenders. His jockey will be Prat, who rode Rombauer to victory in the Preakness and will be looking to win the Belmont for the first time. It's the only one of the three Triple Crown events that he hasn't won.

Trainer Doug O'Neill has had success at Triple Crown events before. In 2012, he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with I'll Have Another. O'Neill won the Derby again in 2016 with Nyquist. However, he's never won the Belmont, so he'll be looking to do so for the first time with Hot Rod Charlie.

Hot Rod Charlie's sire is Oxbow, who won the Preakness and finished second in the Belmont in 2013.

"He's got tremendous air. We're just seeing a lot of the best qualities of Oxbow and the mare," O'Neill said, per Byron King of BloodHorse. "It's a perfect combination of the sire and dam."

Maybe Hot Rod Charlie will also soon become a Belmont champion.