Belmont Stakes 2012 Post Positions: How Draw Impacts Favorites

The draw to determine post position at this year's Belmont Stakes won't have any bearing whatsoever on where the favorites end up at the finish line.

In a field of 11 horses, post positions don't matter much—especially on a track as long as the one featured at Belmont Field. These horses will be running an all-out sprint for one-and-a-half miles—significantly farther than either of the two previous Triple Crown races.

Starting on the outside isn't favorable in short races with large fields because the horses on the outside have a longer distance to travel when they get into the turns. That isn't the case at Belmont, though, as the colts will have plenty of room to maneuver and plenty of time to get into position for the finish.

Paynter, one of the favorites at 9-2 odds, drew the No. 9 post position. His owner, Ahmed Zayat, talked about the draw, via NYRA.com:

"

He's [Paynter] more versatile than people think. He can probably do anything, but it looks like we have drawn a nice post. There is a lack of speed, so maybe he'll be on the lead, but I'm not sure.

"

He went on to say that he thinks Paynter is actually a better racing horse than Bodemeister, a claim that will be affirmed if Paynter comes away with a victory today.

Union Rags drew the No. 3 post, a draw that caused trainer Michael Matz to say, "If I had my choice I would have picked a little further out. I think the horse has enough speed to be in a decent position."

He's just concerned that Union Rags might get caught up again like he did at the Kentucky Derby, and there is some chance of that happening so close to the rails to start. I will be surprised if Union Rags doesn't get off to a good start, though, and if he does so, post position won't matter in the least.

Dullahan, the newly crowned favorite since I'll Have Another's shocking withdrawal and subsequent retirement, has drawn a post nobody can complain about. He's right in the middle of the pack at No. 5, and there isn't a better spot to be in at the start of this race.

Here are the post positions for all 11 horses, according to BelmontStakes.org:

Post Position	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
No. 1	Street Life	C. Brown	J. Lezcano	17-2
No. 2	Unstoppable U	K. McPeek	J. Alvarado	21-1
No. 3	Union Rags	M. Matz	J. Velazquez	11-5
No. 4	Atigun	K. McPeek	J. Leparoux	24-1
No. 5	Dullahan	D. Romans	J. Castellano	9-5
No. 6	Ravelo's Boy	M. Azpurua	A. Solis	40-1
No. 7	Five Sixteen	D. Schettino	R. Napravnik	50-1
No. 8	Guyana Star Dweej	D. Shivmangal	undecided	60-1
No. 9	Paynter	B. Baffert	M. Smith	9-2
No. 10	Optimizer	D. Lukas	C. Nakatani	16-1
No. 11	My Adonis	K. Breen	R. Dominguez	20-1

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