Belmont Stakes 2012: Breaking Down Horses to Include in Your Winning Trifecta

Saturday's Belmont Stakes looked pretty straightforward at one point as I'll Have Another was the overwhelming favorite to win and take the Triple Crown, but with him shockingly being scratched from
the race and retired due to tendinitis, the third jewel of the Triple Crown is suddenly wide open.

Dullahan has assumed the role of favorite, according to Bovada, with the likes of Union Rags, Paynter and Street Life following close behind. A big underdog could just as easily win, though. Perhaps, the race won't be as compelling to casual fans due to I'll Have Another's absence, but it has become a lot more interesting for the bettors.

Here's a breakdown of each of the three horses that you should include in your trifecta on Saturday.

Win: Dullahan (33/20)

Even with I'll Have Another in the race, Dullahan was a very interesting pick to win the Belmont Stakes. His style is quite similar to I'll Have Another's as he prefers to come from behind, and he had a run that was much like I'll Have Another's in the Kentucky Derby. Dullahan ended up finishing third behind I'll Have Another and Bodemeister but had the race been a bit longer, then Dullahan may have been the one chasing a Triple Crown.

The Belmont Stakes is a lengthier race, of course, as it is 12 furlongs. That will allow jockey Javier Castellano to position Dullahan wherever he wants on the track, and it will give him plenty of time to make a run. With the way the first two races in the Triple Crown have gone, I'm quite inclined to take a late breaker like Dullahan rather than a pacesetter. Because of that, I would go with the de facto favorite as the winner.

Place: Paynter (19/4)

After watching the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, it's quite obvious that the smartest betting formula to follow is to take a horse who comes from off the pace to win and a horse who sets the pace
to place.

The two most likely pacesetters at Belmont at Union Rags and Paynter. While most prefer Union Rags, he was very disappointing in the Kentucky Derby. Many have blamed his jockey for getting caught in traffic, but I believe Union Rags was overrated all along.

Paynter, on the other hand, is coming off an Allow race victory at Pimlico a couple weeks ago in which he looked extremely good. Paynter and jockey Mike Smith are going to shoot to the front and are likely to stay there for the majority of the race. I'm not confident that Paynter has the stamina to go wire to wire and hold off Dullahan, but I feel as though he will be passed very late and will finish in second.

Show: Unstoppable U (20/1)

Rather than going all chalk and making Union Rags the show horse, I prefer to throw a long shot into the mix. Many of the horses that were long shots prior to I'll Have Another's injury have significantly
different odds, but Unstoppable U is an interesting choice at 20/1.

The horse will be saddled by Junior Alvarado and has won each of its two career starts. While some may say he's too inexperienced, he could also be called fresh and ready to go 12 furlongs.

He has a pretty favorable post position at No. 2 that shouldn't give him any problems, and he has speed to burn. It may seem like picking one out of all the long shots is an exercise in futility, but
Unstoppable U has a lot of mystery surrounding him, so he may be better than most think. He has never run longer than a mile, however, so there is some risk here.

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