In the one 12-mile Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets in Jun. 11, Mo Donegal proved his mastery over seven challengers, but the pecking order inside the 3-year-old class is less evident.

The divisional lead held by the Donegal Racing and Repole Stable-owned colt is tight, with horses like Klavarich Stables' Early Voting and RED TR-Rich Racing's Strike in the mix. The Preakness Stakes was won by Early Voting on May 21, and Rich Strike upset the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 7 before placing a distant sixth in the Belmont.

Then there are the division's other top horses, such as Epicenter, who finished second in both the Derby and the Preakness, as well as the Woody Stephens Stakes—presented by Jack Christopher, winner of the Mohegan Sun,

 and Zandon, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner and third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby.

Taiba, White Abarrio, and Cyberknife, three Grade 1 winners from the spring who was in the Derby, are further behind that group. Cyberknife went on to win the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on Jun. 12.

Without a clear leader, the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male will decide what happens in the coming months. I believe there is no reason to rate anyone yet, as there always is because it happens in the summer and fall matters a little more in terms of divisional championships. Todd Pletcher, Mo Donegal's trainer, stated outside his stable the morning after the Belmont.

However, I believe his victory in Wood and Belmont, as well as the fact that he defeated the Preakness winner in the Wood, puts him on the list.

Pletcher has never trained a 3-year-old champion in his Hall of Fame career, with his two Kentucky Derby winners and three previous Belmont Stakes winners all being outvoted at the end of the year.

I want to get my hands on it. stated, "We're going for it."

Early Voting, Jack Christopher, and Zandon's trainer, Chad Brown, age stated, "I'm not sure if it's vital to be the leader now." What matters is how everything turns out in the end. Right now, it appears to be a little too wide open. You have a few great horses that have emerged as the best of the crop, but there is still a great deal of racing to be done over various distances and tracks.

The Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 27 and the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and other Breeders' Cup events at Keeneland on Nov. 5 are anticipated to be the most influential races. Multiple leading 3-year-olds are likely to enter those races. Rees said the championship would be decided in the year's second half.

Meanwhile, Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant's Jack Christopher will run in Jul. 23 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, while Jeff Drown's Zandon will run in the Jul. 30 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, according to Brown.

Early voting, according to Brown, is a wild card. "I'll watch how he trains and talk to (Klaravich Stables') Seth Klarman about our choices to figure out whatever road will lead him to the Travers as a team."

The Travers is also in the cards for Mo Donegal and Rich Strike, according to their trainers, who noted that they came out of  Belmont in good shape.

Rich Strike's trainer, Eric Reed, said his colt would return to his Mercury Training Center headquarters in central Kentucky and begin training there with the Travers in mind.

Reed faulted himself for urging jockey Sonny Leon to keep Rich Strike clear on the outside in the Belmont, believing, in hindsight, that the Keen Ice colt is more competitive when racing on the inside, as he did for the most of the Derby. Mo Donegal trounced Rich Strike by 14 lengths in the Belmont.

I messed up due to a tactical error. I'm not going to do it again. Reed remarked. "He argued (Sonny) all the way around there, wasn't paying attention and was irritated when the running began. Pletcher will also point Mo Donegal, a son of Uncle Mo, to the Travers, known as the "Mid-Summer Derby."

"I haven't talked to the ownership group about it, but both of our Travers winners went through the Jim Dandy," he said, referring to Flower Alley (2005) and Stay Thirsty (2011). "So, if he has a prep between now and the Travers, that would probably make the most sense."

Palace Malice (2013) and Tapwrit (2017), Pletcher's previous two male Belmont champions, were both fourth in the Travers. Palace Malice won the Jim Dandy a few weeks before the Travers, while Tapwrit raced straight after the Belmont.

Rags to Riches, Pletcher's 2007 Belmont winner, didn't run again until the Gazelle Stakes at Belmont Park in the fall, placing second in what turned out to be her final start.

Pletcher also entered a filly in this year's Belmont, and after stumbling at the start, Nest finished a solid runner-up. Nest is set to race again against fillies at Saratoga in the Alabama Stakes on Aug. 20, which may be followed by the Coaching Club American Oaks on Jul. 23, according to Pletcher.

Pletcher, for one, spent Sunday basking in the glory of victory. Following morning training, a swarm of reporters and photographers greeted him when he received a phone call from Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, with whom he worked as an assistant before establishing his career in 1996.

Pletcher has four Belmont triumphs to Lukas' four, the highest among active trainers.

Pletcher stated, "I consider him the best of all time." "That's fantastic."