The Peter Pan Stakes just 12 months ago was a key steppingstone to the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets for eventual winner Arcangelo, who would go on to take home the 2023 Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male.

Arcangelo won last year’s Peter Pan by a head and went on to win the Belmont Stakes by 1 ½ lengths and the Travers Stakes by a length for trainer Jena Antonucci.

Can history repeat itself this year with a promising sophomore coming out of the 1 1/8-mile race to make an impact on the final leg of the Triple Crown and/or the 3-year-old division?

Let’s take a look at this year’s Peter Pan entrants. The race is held during the Belmont at the Big A meet (at Aqueduct) this year.

1. Protective (8-1 morning-line odds): Winless in three starts but comes into the Peter Pan off a troubled third-place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino. Hall of Fame trainer a master at picking his spots and trainer-jockey tandem is potent to say the least. Well-bred Medaglia d’Oro colt out of Grade 1 winner Grace Hall worth a second look here.

JOCKEY: Irad Ortiz Jr.; TRAINER: Todd Pletcher

2. Unique Insight (8-1): Must respect after back-to-back open-length wins for top trainer Chad Brown. Speed figures indicate he should be competitive in his stakes debut and early speed should have him in good position early. Could surprise at appealing price in stakes debut.

JOCKEY: Eric Cancel; TRAINER: Chad Brown

3. The Wine Steward (5-2): Returned from a six-month layoff with a second-place finish by three-quarters of a length in the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes April 13 at Keeneland. Earned a career-best – and field-best – 107 Equibase Speed Figure in his return and might have needed the race from a fitness perspective. Top pick figures to be very tough in his second start of the year.

JOCKEY: Luis Saez; TRAINER: Mike Maker

4. Lonesome Boy (20-1): Cross-entered in Long Branch Stakes Saturday at Monmouth Park and trainer has indicated he plans to instead opt for that easier spot. A stakes winner at Parx Racing in March, Lonesome Boy was most recently fourth in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino. Looks a cut below these based upon speed figures.

The Wine Steward (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

JOCKEY: Adam Bowman; TRAINER: Hugo Padilla

5. Tuscan Gold (2-1): Trainer Chad Brown also is considering the $2 million Preakness Stakes for Tuscan Gold, and it looks like he will opt for the classic race rather than the Peter Pan based on published reports. Ran a big race when third behind Catching Freedom in his third career start in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby, and the winner came back to run fourth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.

JOCKEY: Flavien Prat; TRAINER: Chad Brown

6. Antiquarian (6-1): Made his stakes debut in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby and broke through the starting gate before the race. Was in the mix entering the stretch but faded late. Eligible to improve in fourth start for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

JOCKEY: John Velazquez; TRAINER: Todd Pletcher

7. Deterministic (5-1): Gotham Stakes winner attempts to rebound from an eighth-place finish, beaten by 17 ¾ lengths, as the odds-on in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino. Was the distance the issue in his first try around two turns in the Wood or was it just an off day? Hunch we see a better Deterministic Saturday.

JOCKEY: Joel Rosario; TRAINER: Christophe Clement

8. Native Land (12-1): A 3-year-old on the rise, he enters this race off back-to-back wins. Never been out of the top three in four races, but this looks like a challenging spot for his stakes debut. He’ll need to take a significant step forward.

JOCKEY: Junior Alvarado; TRAINER: Riley Mott

THE PICK: The Wine Steward

LIVE LONGSHOT: Unique Insight

TRIFECTA: 3-2-7