The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown has but one question to answer: Will Rich Strike be forever lumped with A-ha, Dexys Midnight Runners and Norman Greenbaum or will he forever be saddled with another question, "What if only he had run in the Preakness?"
There is nothing typical about the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes in a normal year, as it quite possibly will be the only time a horse runs that distance on the dirt. But the path that Rich Strike took to getting to Elmont, N.Y., is more atypical.
It started when he was the last horse to get in the Kentucky Derby, minutes before the deadline to be eligible after Ethereal Road scratched from the race. Then, breaking from the far outside, he got the trip of a lifetime to win at 80-1 after a blistering pace that compromised at least half the field.
