Belmont Stakes 2012 Post Positions: Long Shots Whose Draw Ended Their Chances

Street Life drew the enviable No. 1 post position for the 2012 Belmont Stakes, and is now a respectable 12-1 favorite to win the 2012 Belmont Stakes.

With I'll Have Another, who drew the No. 11 position, attempting to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, there will certainly be anticipation in the air on Saturday in Belmont Park. 

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner is the 4-5 favorite, while Dullahan, the horse that finished third in the Kentucky Derby, was listed as the second favorite with 5-1 odds after the post positions were drawn. 

Street Life was given new life when the horse was placed in the No. 1 position, but which runners were screwed by the posts they were given in this 1.5-mile, 12-horse race:

Union Rags: No. 3 position

Union Rags finished a disappointing seventh in the Kentucky Derby from the No. 4 position. This horse has demonstrated an inability to get out of the gate cleanly and break free from tight packs throughout the race.

The No. 3 spot isn't terrible, but it's a far from ideal spot for Union Rags, who would be better suited on the outside where he can run the race more freely.

This isn't a horse that can excel from a "locked in" spot on the inside. A position between No. 9 and No. 13 would have been much more advantageous for Union Rags.

If the horse would have drawn one of those outside spots, he would have had better odds entering Saturday's race.

Unstoppable U: No. 2 position

Unstoppable U is currently listed as a 30-1 outsider, and although much wasn't expected of this horse before the drawing, the No. 2 position certainly didn't help his cause. 

Though there's a chance the underdog Street Life and Unstoppable U could burst out to an early lead on Saturday, around the turns in the longest race of the Triple Crown, they'll both be pinned inside without the ability to make a significant move down the stretch.

The Belmont will be only the third start of Unstoppable U's career, and the horse certainly isn't in a great spot against the best competition he's ever faced.  

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