Belmont Stakes 2013: Profiling Field's Most Enticing Long Shots

After two compelling races that featured two different winners, the final leg of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park will undoubtedly be unpredictable.

After Orb won at the Kentucky Derby, he was the favored horse to win the Preakness Stakes, but Gary Stevens and Oxbow pulled off the upset..

Oxbow's wire-to-wire victory shocked the crowd at Pimlico Race Course and simultaneously put an end to any chance of a Triple Crown for Orb, jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Shug McGaughey. According to Yahoo! Sports, it was also the first time a horse had won in wire-to-wire fashion in 31 years:

Both horses are expected to race in the Belmont Stakes, per Richard Rosenblatt of the AP (via the Boston Globe), but there are a few long shots that could steal the victory in the final leg of the 2013 Triple Crown.

Jerry Bossert of the New York Daily News presented an early look at the potential field for this year's Belmont Stakes. From this list, here are the horses that have a chance to shock the favorites and come away with a big win. 

Overanalyze

Overanalyze didn't run at the Preakness after an 11th-place finish in the mud pit at Churchill Downs for the Derby. This horse will be fresh for the long run at Belmont, and given the way it has raced for most of the year, it will have as good a chance as any horse to win.

Before the Derby, Overanalyze had won three of five races—including the Arkansas Derby (Grade 1). The victories presented somewhat of a pattern that suggests this horse is due for another big win, as TBAblogs pointed out on Twitter recently:

Overanalyze has shown the ability to hang with fast horses throughout his career, and though he isn't a pure sprinter, he has the endurance to win on the mile-and-a-half track at Belmont Park.

Palace Malice

A disappointing 12th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby will certainly temper expectations for Palace Malice at the Belmont Stakes. Perhaps putting blinkers on this horse wasn't a good idea, and it's a mistake Dogwood Stable president Cot Campbell doesn't intend on making again. 

Campbell recently spoke with the media about the upcoming race, according to Sports Network (via the Miami Herald), saying he expected to run Palace Malice at the Belmont:

"

The decision is based on the outcome of the Preakness, and the fact that on Sunday at Belmont Park our horse worked a very snappy half in :47.2, indicating good energy and enthusiasm. The blinkers that jazzed him up in the Kentucky Derby come off and we anticipate no problem with pace or distance. He always rated kindly in previous races, and he will be in good hands with Mike Smith.

"

The Smith Campbell is referring to here is a Hall of Fame jockey, and we all saw what a big difference that can make after watching Stevens ride Oxbow to victory at the Preakness. 

Before the Derby fiasco, Palace Malice finished in second place at the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 1). Though not a pure sprinter, the long track at Belmont should give this horse a chance to win.f

Will Take Charge

Through two of the three Triple Crown races, Will Take Charge hasn't come close to finishing on the podium, posting an eighth-place finish at the Derby and a seventh-place finish at the Preakness.

These poor showings don't preclude this horse from having the race of its life at the Belmont, however. After being ridden by Mike Smith at the Preakness, jockey Jon Court will be back in the saddle once again for the Belmont, per KATV's Justin Lewis:

Smith didn't have the rapport with Will Take Charge that Court does, and even though the two of them finished in seventh place at the Derby, they ran a good race in the mud.

Having won two of three races before the Derby, and given the amount of stamina this horse has, it shouldn't shock anyone if Will Take Charge wins the Belmont Stakes. 

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