Belmont Stakes 2012: 3 Horses That Will Challenge I'll Have Another

The Belmont Stakes is grouped into two categories: I’ll Have Another and everyone else.

The three-year-old is looking to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, and the competition isn’t exactly daunting.

With a weak field, only a few road blocks stand in the way of I’ll Have Another’s mission to make history. Here are three horses that have what it takes to pull off the shocking upset.

Union Rags (6-1)

One of the favorites at the Kentucky Derby, Union Rags got caught up in the traffic and ended up finishing a disappointing seventh. He took the Preakness off to rest and enters the Belmont as the main threat to I’ll Have Another.

New jockey John Velasquez was very impressed with Union Rags' workout on Sunday, running an impressive 58.5 second five-furlong.

Speaking of Velasquez, he is one of the big reasons to love Union Rags as well. He navigated Rags to Riches to the win at Belmont in 2007 and has much more experience than the previous jockey, Julien Leparoux.

On a track that features less traffic and a new jockey with more experience, there are plenty of reasons to like Union Rags.

 

Dullahan (5-1)

One of the favorites at 5-1, Dullahan has multiple factors going for him.

He has a new jockey in Javier Castellano, who has a ton of experience at the track. He may be the best jockey in the entire field.

With the 1.5-mile course, the fast-closing third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby may have turned into a win if the track were longer.

As long as Dullahan doesn’t get off to an incredibly slow start, he has the potential to steal the win late.

Paynter (12-1)

When your trainer is Bob Baffert, people pay attention. Without Bodemeister around, this is Baffert's only horse in the race.

Paynter never ran as a two-year-old—as did Bodemeister— and will only be participating in his fifth race of the calendar year, but he does come in with a lot of momentum.

Paynter blew away the field at the Preakness undercard and has been one of the more discussed horses since.

While his lack of experience is concerning, a Baffert-bred horse is always one you have to take extremely seriously.

(Odds courtesy on VegasInsider.com)

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