Belmont Stakes 2012: Best Options to Capture I'll Have Another's Spotlight

If you were just tuning into the Belmont Stakes to watch I'll Have Another, you are likely going to need to be coerced into watching the final leg of the Triple Crown. 

Fortunately, the quality of horses still in the race is such that you should be paying attention, regardless of whether history will be made or not. It is not always easy to see the positives in light of such an unfortunate event, but sports are supposed to make you feel better. 

The spotlight will remain on I'll Have Another until the race starts, but that is when everything changes. Those two-and-a-half minutes will give one thoroughbred a moment in time that no one will ever forget. 

Here are the best horses who can capture the spotlight I'll Have Another was supposed to have. 

Dullahan (9-5 Odds)

Dullahan has really snuck up on people this Belmont Stakes season. He was on the radar following a third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby, but then he took the Preakness Stakes off. Absence has made the heart grow fonder, as he enters the Belmont as the favorite. 

If you want an impressive track record for your horse, Dullahan certainly has it. He has finished in the top five in his last nine races, with two career wins already on his resume. 

This race is going to be built around Dullahan since he is the star and he has the pedigree to take the bright spotlight designed for I'll Have Another. 

Union Rags (3-1)

While Dullahan came out of the Kentucky Derby looking like a potential star after a strong finish, Union Rags entered the Derby in the spot that I'll Have Another found himself in. He was the favorite and the horse everyone was talking about. 

Despite finishing seventh in the Derby, Union Rags still maintained some semblance of awe with the bookmakers at least. He now enters the Belmont with the second-best odds and has the ability to win a race like this. 

The Belmont requires stamina and a long stride to keep up with the other horses before making a final push. Rags has those physical attributes, it is just a question of being able to put it all together. 

Paynter (5-1)

Even before I'll Have Another was scratched from the race, I was championing Paynter as the favorite to win the Belmont Stakes. His reputation in the horse-racing community is very strong, with two victories and four top-five finishes. 

In addition to those on-track stats, Paynter has the magic of Bob Baffert in his corner. Baffert is one of, if not the best trainers in the sport. He prepares his horses for a race as well as anyone, and the results show every single time one of his thoroughbreds steps on the track. 

Paynter is on the verge of having a big breakout run, he just needs the right course to do it. The Belmont is a difficult course to do it, but he is more than capable of pulling it off. 

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