Belmont Stakes 2012 Odds: Long Shots That Are Worth Your Money

I'll Have Another enters the Belmont Stakes looking to pursue the Triple Crown, in case you haven't already heard.

Morning line odds for I'll Have Another are currently 3-5. 

The consensus next best horses are Dullahan at 5-1 and Union Rags at 6-1.

None of these horses are going to bring in the large payout that you're hoping for come Saturday unless you pair them up with some bombs.

It's time to go a little more in depth and take a look at some horses that just may shock the field while helping the average betting man rake in the dough.

1. Paynter 8-1

A horse going off at 8-1 odds traditionally isn't considered a long shot. However, with the top few horses in this race, it would be surprising if any horse other than I'll Have Another, Dullahan or Union Rags actually comes out on top.

Trainer Bob Baffert has ditched Bodemeister after two heartbreaking losses at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in favor of Paynter.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike E. Smith sits atop this thoroughbred, hoping to bring in his second win ever at the Belmont Stakes (Drosselmeyer in 2010).

Paynter boasts a few good recent workouts and has hit the board in three of four races in 2012, winning two of them.

2. Street Life 15-1

Street Life may be your safest long shot in this race with a current morning line of 15-1.

At the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont in early May, Street Life simply ran out of time but was the best horse coming on late. This time around, the distance is stretched at a track that the horse and jockey Jose Lezcano are both very comfortable with.

Trainer Chad Brown knows how to pick winners too, boasting a winning clip of 27% thus far in 2012.

3. Unstoppable U 30-1

This is where things start getting a little fuzzy and risky for amateur horse betters.

Unstoppable U comes from a great pedigree, sired by Exchange Rate, whose heritage leads back to the great sire Danzig (sired 10 champions). The dam, Naseem, hails from Point Given—the horse that some people may remember falling shy of a Triple Crown in 2001 after losing only the first race at the Kentucky Derby.

Unstoppable U is 2-0 so far this year with jockey Junior Alvarado on board. His most recent win came at Belmont in April. Trainer Ken McPeek is looking for his second career win at the Belmont Stakes.

4. Atigun 30-1

This is the second of trainer Ken McPeek's long shots running in the Belmont Stakes.

Jockey Julien Leparoux won atop Atigun in their last race out at a muddy Churchill Downs in May. The horse couldn't quite stack up with Bodemeister and company at the one-and-one-eighth mile Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April, but was improving late.

With two quality workouts recently and an increased distance this time around, I wouldn't be all that surprised to see Atigun hit the board. If the conditions are less than perfect come Saturday, this horse won't be one to lose his footing and could be a major contender.

5. Optimizer 30-1

Optimizer finished 11th at the Kentucky Derby, sixth at the Preakness and is back yet again to contend at Belmont Park.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas looks to claim his fifth career win at the Belmont Stakes this year with a horse that most people have already counted out.

However, the horse improved last time out with added distance and the jockey switch to Corey Nakatani. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if the extra two-and-a-half furlongs will work in favor of Optimizer at Belmont on Saturday.

D. Wayne Lukas wouldn't start a horse after two previous failed outings if he didn't feel that he had a chance of stealing the show.