Belmont Stakes 2012 Post Positions: Breaking Down Historically Best Positions

As we approach the 2012 Belmont Stakes post position draw on Wednesday, it's time to look at the post positions that have regularly placed in the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Historically, post position hasn't been as important in the Belmont Stakes as in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Horses have placed all over the map. Part of this may be due to the fact that the Belmont Stakes is the longest Triple Crown race (1.5 miles) and you generally need a strong, battle-tested horse to pull through at the end, regardless of your post position.

That may be the reason why Bob Baffert isn't racing Bodemeister in the Belmont Stakes. Bodemeister went unraced as a two-year-old, and he had trouble closing out the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes this year, finishing second in both races.

To give you an idea of how wide open the Belmont Stakes has been historically, let us examine the race in the past 10 years (2003 and 2007 have been excluded because the field was much smaller than this year's).

Since 2002, the No. 4 post position is the only post to have won twice.

Six post positions have placed three times: No. 2, No. 4, No. 5, No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9.

The No. 6 post position has placed twice.

Four post positions have placed once: No. 1, No. 3, No. 11 and No. 12.

As you can see, the field is wide open, but it appears that being on the far outside is generally where you don't want to be.

What can we learn from all of this? In short, Triple Crown contender I'll Have Another should be the favorite, regardless of his post position. It appears having a strong workhorse is more important than your post position.

We all saw what I'll Have Another did in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, flying down the stretch and surging past the entire field in the process. He has all the makings of a horse ready to assert himself in the Triple Crown's longest race.

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