Belmont Stakes 2012 Post Positions: How Draw Affects the Field

The post positions for the 2012 Belmont Stakes have been revealed, giving us a better grasp on I'll Have Another's chances at winning the elusive Triple Crown.

Since 1978, 11 horses have been in position to claim the crown at the Belmont. All 11 have failed. Can the late-surging duo of I'll Have Another and jockey Mario Gutierrez become the first Triple Crown winners since Affirmed 34 years ago?

We'll take a look at their chances, but first, here is the entire field for the 2012 Belmont, complete with betting odds and post positions.

2012 Belmont Stakes Post Positions 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

The first thing that stands out in the post positions is that I'll Have Another is stuck in No. 11, where it is generally tougher for a horse to make a move. The last five Belmont winners have all started at No. 7 or lower, which puts them in a prime position to take the inside track.

Of course, given I'll Have Another's habit of making a late charge, I'm not too worried about him starting on the outside. He started 19th out of 21 at the Kentucky Derby and ninth out of 11 at the Preakness, so it's not like he's had much trouble from high post positions.

Also, a couple horses have had success at the Belmont after starting in slot 11. Since 1982, two horses, including Sarava in 2002, have won the Belmont from the 11th post.

So while it may look like an unfortunate draw at first, I like I'll Have Another's chances. The grueling 1.5 mile track is perfect for his style, and I'm expecting him to once again dominate the stretch run.

It hasn't been done since Jimmy Carter was president, but I'm picking I'll Have Another to achieve legendary status by winning the Belmont and the 2012 Triple Crown.