Belmont 2012: Union Rags and Horses with Best Shot at Crushing Triple Crown Bid

With the 2012 Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 9, the excitement surrounding the annual event is off the charts because of I’ll Have Another’s bid for the first Triple Crown in 34 years.

As much as the horse-racing world would love to see this feat accomplished, there are horses and trainers that would love to be the ones that spoil the elusive Triple Crown bid.

All of the following horses are set to run great races, but whether or not any can unseat I’ll Have Another will be a different story. Let’s go racing!

Union Rags

While the hype around Union Rags fell completely off the board after the Kentucky Derby favorite finished seventh in the biggest race of the year, there is still a chance that the strong runner could come back and win the Belmont.

With a few extra weeks off to both recover physically and mentally, breaking up the pursuit of the Triple Crown would be vindication for a team that suffered a huge blow at the Derby.

With four wins in his last seven races and plenty of reason to fight hard for a big win, there is no way anyone should count out Union Rags this time around.

Dullahan

One of the most likely horses to contend for a win at the Belmont this weekend will be third place finisher at the Kentucky Derby, Dullahan.

With a big win at the Blue Grass race a few weeks before the Derby and a big run in Kentucky, there is no reason to believe that Dullahan will not be in the money when it is all said and done.

If Dullahan can avoid traffic early and find his pace, this horse has the speed and closing ability to get himself a win and spoil I’ll Have Another’s chances.

Paynter

While Paynter is not the prototypical favorite—as he has never raced on a course the length of Belmont before—his latest win came on a track just a bit shorter and most experts think he should adapt fine.

Another big factor for this horse is the man training him; Bob Baffert. The legendary trainer is all about getting a win here and this young horse could be powerful enough to steal the show for him.

The big stage of the Triple Crown that gets everyone excited, but if Paynter can keep his cool and let his jockey run the race, there is a chance he walks away victorious.

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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