"The Belmont distance is our main concern," Bailes said of running a mile and a half.

Distance Is Biggest Hurdle But most of the trainers conceded that the Belmont distance was more challenging than the Belmont draw.

Gulch, Leo Castelli and Avies Copy won major stakes races over the Memorial Day weekend, but were beaten in the Derby and seem unlikely to thrive at the Belmont distance.

Perhaps the only remaining question is War Emblem's ability to handle the Belmont distance of a mile and a half.

John Parisella, his trainer, thinks that his colt will thrive at the mile-and-a-half Belmont distance.

Tabasco Cat Goes to School Strodes Creek, second choice in the early betting line, galloped the Belmont distance of a mile and a half.

I think the Belmont distance could be the equalizer.

There will be new questions to answer in the final leg of the Triple Crown, namely how Smarty Jones will handle the demanding Belmont distance of a mile and a half.

It looked today that Oliver's Twist would run in the $300,000 Ohio Derby on June 17 because the Belmont distance of a mile and a half seemed out of his range.

Whittingham predicted his colt would have no trouble with the Belmont distance of a mile and a half.