Belmont Stakes 2012: How I'll Have Another's Retirement Shakes Up Race Odds

I'll Have Another has retired, per NBC Sports. His Triple Crown dreams have evaporated almost just 34 days after they arrived.

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I'll have Another has retired #Belmont twitter.com/NBCSN/status/2…

— NBC Sports Network (@NBCSN) June 8, 2012"

With this tremendous shakeup comes new odds for the Belmont's remaining horses. According to thespread.com, the new odds look like this.

Post Position	Horse	Odds
1	Street Life	8-1
2	Unstoppable U	20-1
3	Union Rags	3-1
4	Atigun	20-1
5	Dullahan	5-2
6	Ravelo's Boy	40-1
7	Five Sixteen	40-1
8	Guyana Star Dweej	40-1
9	Paynter	5-1
10	Optimizer	15-1
11	I'll Have Another	Scratched
12	My Adonis	15-1

The odds are definitely adjusted, but the same basic structure remains the same.

Ravelo's Boy, Five Sixteen and Guyana Star Dweej remain the race's long shots. Dullahan and Union Rags are both top contenders. Paynter and Street Life exist on the fringe between contender and pretender.

This was all known prior to I'll Have Another's injury. The degree is just different.

Instead of Union Rags and Dullahan being I'll Have Another's most dangerous challengers, they are now the Belmont's favorites.

Paynter and Street Life had middle-of-the-road odds yesterday, but were bumped up a prestige level following the damaging injury. These two are now considered the top candidates to pull an upset.

Now Optimizer and My Adonis are this year's middling horses. They face the same situation I'll Have Another faced entering the Kentucky Derby a little over a month ago.

Atigun and Unstoppable U dwell between the middle of the pack and the longest of long shots. Their 20-1 odds should not promote optimism, but they are not impossible to overcome.

The remaining horses are no different. Expectations remain largely the same heading into tomorrow's race.

I'll Have Another's injury eliminated this year's most prominent storyline and adjusted the odds at the last second. Other than that, things are status quo in the horse racing world.