Belmont Stakes 2012 Entries: Guide to Race Day's Top Horses

With the 2012 Belmont Stakes Saturday, June 9, it’s time to look forward at the top horses entering the race this time around.

All eyes will undoubtedly be on fan and race favorite I’ll Have Another as he tries to complete his dream run for the Triple Crown.

The fact that a contender has the elusive Triple Crown bid in sight will have the excitement over the Belmont skyrocketing. This is the kind of action that you can’t miss!

I’ll Have Another (3-5)

Unless you have fallen asleep like Rip Van Winkle, you have heard about the underdog story about I’ll Have Another and his wild team, led by trainer Doug O’Neill.

With an inspiring jockey and an elite horse, the O’Neill camp has pushed their stock through the roof with their recent success at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. I’ll Have Another is as hot as a horse could be.

It’s hard to tell if I’ll Have Another will be able to get to the front and stay there all race, but as we learned, he may be better off as a stalker anyway. It would be nice to do it the easy way just once, though.

Paynter (8-1)

While Paynter has not raced on a track as long at Belmont yet in his young career, this may be the coming out party that legendary Bob Baffert would love to throw for his latest horse.

This young steed has won two of his last four races and also came in second in one of the other two. That recent success was enough to convince Baffert to allow the horse to run.

I’ll Have Another has to be the favorite, but if the weather is on the wet side and the track gets sloppy, expect a big run from Paynter and a big-time chance to win.

Union Rags (6-1)

Remember Union Rags? Yes, the Kentucky Derby favorite that ended up finishing seventh will try his luck again at the Belmont Stakes this time.

While the bad run may have discouraged the camp surrounding the horse, he is still as strong as ever and must avoid traffic this time around to make sure the same fate doesn’t befall him again.

It will take a perfect run and some favorable weather, but Union Rags once again has a chance to steal the show. Whether he actually does or not is anyone’s guess.

2012 Belmont Stakes Post Positions, Field and Odds

Odds courtesy of Belmont Stakes Twitter feed.

Post Position	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Morning Line
No. 1	Street Life	C. Brown	J. Lezcano	12-1
No. 2	Unstoppable U	K. McPeek	J. Alvarado	30-1
No. 3	Union Rags	M. Matz	J. Velazquez	6-1
No. 4	Atigun	K. McPeek	J. Leparoux	30-1
No. 5	Dullahan	D. Romans	J. Castellano	5-1
No. 6	Ravelo's Boy	M. Azpurua	A. Solis	50-1
No. 7	Five Sixteen	D. Schettino	R. Napravnik	50-1
No. 8	Guyana Star Dweej	D. Shivmangal	undecided	50-1
No. 9	Paynter	B. Baffert	M. Smith	8-1
No. 10	Optimizer	D. Lukas	C. Nakatani	20-1
No. 11	I'll Have Another	D. O'Neill	M. Gutierrez	4-5
No. 12	My Adonis	K. Breen	R. Dominguez	20-1

Check back for more on horse racing as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Horse Racing page to get your fill of all things from the ponies.

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