Belmont Stakes Predictions 2012: Last-Minute Picks & Odds for Saturday's Race

The days are numbered until I'll Have Another takes the next step in his quest to complete the Triple Crown, and the pressure is mounting.

As expected, there is plenty of drama surrounding the most anticipated horse race in years. Most of the trainers in this year's field are furious about a recent rule change that stipulates all competitors must be kept in a detention barn before the race in order to keep the playing field as fair as possible.

In other words, after I'll Have Another trainer Doug O'Neill was slapped with a suspension for rule violations a couple of weeks ago, the New York Racing Association wants to ensure there is no horseplay before the Belmont.

The only problem is that horses need more than a few days to acclimate to new surroundings before one of the biggest races of their careers.

How will the barn affect the performances of the front-runners? Will I'll Have Another make history and become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978? Will Dullahan or Union Rags succeed in thwarting him?

Here's everything you need to know leading up to Saturday's big race.

Post Position and Odds for Saturday's Belmont Stakes
Odds courtesy of DocSports.com

Post Position	Horse	Odds
1	Street Life	12/1
2	Unstoppable U	30/1
3	Union Rags	6/1
4	Antigun	30/1
5	Dullahan	5/1
6	Ravelo's Boy	50/1
7	Five Sixteen	50/1
8	Guyana Star	50/1
9	Paynter	8/1
10	Optimizer	20/1
11	I'll Have Another	4/5
12	My Adonis	20/1

Favorites

I'll Have Another (4-5)

Despite the fact that the Triple Crown hopeful drew one of the worst post positions at No. 11, it is not likely that he will be at too much of a disadvantage. He won the Kentucky Derby from the second-to-last post a month ago, becoming the first horse in race history to do so, so there is no doubt that he can pull it off again against a less competitive field.

There are not a lot of factors that can stand in between I'll Have Another and glory. He and jockey Mario Gutierrez have clearly displayed in each of their last two races that they have both the speed and the strategy to rise above the rest. In both the Derby and the Preakness, they picked the perfect moment to make one final push in order to win in the final furlong, and there simply are not many horses in the field who can withstand that kind of speed.

The one thing that could interfere with I'll Have Another's hopes is fatigue. Trainer Doug O'Neill was extremely conservative when it came to rest for his horse up until the Derby, and there's no doubt it was a big factor in his wins. Neither Union Rags nor Dullahan has raced since the Derby, so with fresher legs, one of them might just be able to pull off the upset.

Dullahan (5-1)

Dale Romans knows how to pull off an unlikely victory as well as anyone. He's the one who trained Shackleford, the horse who held off Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom by half a length in the Preakness in 2011. Now, his Belmont entry, Dullahan, sits just behind I'll Have Another in the odds, and after his performance in this year's Derby—where he finished third to I'll Have Another and Bodemeister—he seems like the most likely candidate to play spoiler.

According to the Associated Press, Dullahan ran four furlongs in 45.97 seconds during training this week, so it would seem he has the speed to compete. And like I'll Have Another, he specializes in making a killer run for the finish at the very end of races. He is more rested than I'll Have Another, so what this race will truly come down to is stamina. If Dullahan has enough, he is a serious contender.

Union Rags (6-1)

Michael Matz's entry is not out of the running just yet. With a new jockey in John Velazquez and a better post position at No. 3, this might be his time to shine—finally. Union Rags was incredibly hyped prior to the Derby but was extremely disappointing after getting caught in traffic and finishing seventh.

Jockey Julien Leparoux was replaced after disappointing performances in both the Florida Derby and in the Kentucky Derby, so if Matz's suspicions are accurate, all this horse needs is a jockey who can get him in better position and help him avoid getting bumped and pushed wide around the turns.

And if even a new jockey does not help Union Rags, it might be time to admit that this horse is just way overrated.

Picks

Finish	Horse
1	Dullahan
2	I'll Have Another
3	Paynter

There is a reason there has not been a Triple Crown winner in 34 years—it is almost impossible. Dullahan is rested and ready, and when it comes down to it, I'll Have Another will succumb to the fatigue and to the pressure.

A new jockey will not do the trick for Union Rags, either; instead, Paynter—commandeered by Bodemeister trainer Bob Baffert—will show.