Racing Dudes Fantasy League Update: Welch Soars to the Lead

“Give me Justifyyyyyyyy!”

Jared Welch’s famous final line to win the rap battle way back in early March led to him receiving the number-one pick in the Racing Dudes Fantasy League’s first claiming period, and the rest was history! Justify is now one win away from becoming the 13th Triple Crown winner, but more importantly, he could become the second Triple Crown winner that Welch owned in a fantasy league. However, there is still work left for Justify to do if he wants to land Team Welch in the Fantasy League winner’s circle. Let’s take look at the latest Standings and Power Rankings:

Current Standings

Power Rankings

1. Jared Welch – There’s a new sheriff in town! Team Welch leapt to the lead just like Justify was leaping over tire tracks and on Saturday in the Preakness Stakes. The big horse now heads to Belmont in an attempt to make history, and it looks like Solomini will join his stablemate in New York, giving this team two runners in the Belmont Stakes. This team is the overwhelming favorite to win the league now, but his early-season struggles still mean that the result is not yet set in stone. Even though Justify has won both legs of the Triple Crown so far, Welch holds only a 20-point lead over Team Magic.

2. Curtis “Magic” Kalleward – It was a tough blow for this team when his stable star, Good Magic, ran way too well to finish fourth. A second-place finish in the Preakness would have meant that this team would still have had a lead on Team Welch going into the Belmont. Instead, Magic now trails by 20 points, but he is still within range. The problem is that his Belmont candidates look to be limited to just My Boy Jack at this point. He will need to win the race in order for this team to win the league, or else he will finish second, as long as Justify or Solomini do not win.

3. Aaron Halterman – This team just won’t go away! All year, Team Halterman has lacked a stable star, and he still has that problem, yet he is somehow still in the game after Bravazo surprised with a second-place finish in the Preakness. This team is still a longshot to win, but Bravazo is pointed for the Belmont Stakes, and his Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, has had plenty of success there. If Bravazo can win the Belmont Stakes, and neither Justify nor Solomini finish in the top two, then this team will win the league.

4. Mike “Saratoga Slim” Spector – He still has a shot heading into to the Belmont Stakes because he holds a very strong hand for the final race. The Bill Mott-trained Hofburg could be plenty tough in that race, as could Audible if his connections decide to run him. In fact, Audible is the second choice to win in the early betting. News broke today stating Restoring Hope is also pointing for the Belmont which gives yet another contender. Unfortunately, he’ll need a 1-2-3 finish by his horses in the race to have enough points to pass Jared. Box up that trifecta and you will get paid if it hits.

5. Jon White/Ryan Stillman – The season fell apart for this team when stable star McKinzie got injured, which will likely haunt them throughout the summer. The injury was only minor, and McKinzie will likely go on to big success in races like the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes. As for the Belmont Stakes, it seems that Enticed is the only horse on their team that even has a chance to run in the race. He was initially scheduled to take a break until the big summer races, but that tune changed slightly after his connections recently said that the Belmont Stakes is back on the table.

6. Dan “The Fan Man” Waite – The Fan Man is still in last by a long ways, but he is not without hope. It is definitely a major longshot to occur, but if Vino Rosso and Free Drop Billy can finish 1-2 in the Belmont Stakes, then he could crawl out of last place. This seems like an insanely crazy longshot, but that is how Dan rolls. This guy has never seen a favorite that he doesn’t think he can beat, so it would be poetic if he got out of last place at the last minute with a completely improbable Belmont exacta. Looking back, the two claiming periods really hurt Dan. None of them worked out like he had planned.