Belmont Stakes 2012 Contenders: Long Shots Sure to Make Noise

I'll Have Another, Dullahan and Union Rags are the clear favorites at the Belmont Stakes, but there are some long shots you better pay attention to. 

As Andrew Beyer of drf.com points out, "forget about handicapping; if you bet every starter in every Belmont Stakes for the last 15 years you’d have almost doubled your money."

Longshots win, and they win often at the Belmont Stakes. There's no question that I'll Have Another is the most talented horse in the field, but he's going to have to avoid history and avoid the underdogs to secure the Triple Crown.

Here's a look at the dangerous horses that no one is talking about. 

Note: Odds were taken from sportsbook.ag

Paynter (12/1)

He's trained by Bob Baffert, what else do you need to know? Baffert's horses have won a total of nine Triple Crown events, including Belmont in 2001.

Not only does Paynter have one of the top trainers in the world, he has a good pedigree with Seattle Slew further down the family line. 

Paynter is coming off an allowance victory at Pimlico, which followed a fourth-place finish at the Santa Anita Derby, a race that I'll Have Another won.

He was slightly outmatched against the Derby and Preakness winner, but still only finished three or four lengths off the lead, and his closing speed looked good.

If Paynter gets out to a solid start in New York, he could very well hold off I'll Have Another in a big upset.

Street Life (18/1)

After a good start to the year, Street Life has been fairly disappointing in his last two starts. In April, he finished sixth at the Grade-1 Wood Memorial, and last month he came in third at the Grade-2 Peter Pan. 

Nonetheless, his last race was at Belmont, so at the very least, he's comfortable and used to the track. 

Street Life is a closer. As long as he doesn't get bottled up at the beginning, he'll be right there with I'll Have Another and the other front-runners flying towards the finish line. Don't be surprised if this horse turns around his recent run of bad luck. 

Unstoppable U (32/1)

If you really want to make some money, go with Unstoppable U to win or at least to place or show. 

He's certainly not the most talented horse, but he has a cool name and a good pedigree (Secretariat). At 32-to-1, it will be hard to pass up this long shot. 

Throw in the fact that he's coming off a win at Belmont in April and is 2-for-2 in New York, which are the only races he has run, and you've got a very interesting upset candidate. 

You could do a lot worse than this horse and jockey Junior Alvarado. 

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