Belmont Stakes 2013: Elite Contenders Who Will Amaze at Final Triple Crown Race

The final Triple Crown race features a lot of elite contenders. Whether it's Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow, Kentucky Derby winner Orb or fantastic filly Unlimited Budget, the horses will put on a show for the fans at Belmont Stakes.

This will be the 21st rematch of winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in Triple Crown history. The last was two years ago. The Preakness winner, in this case Oxbow, has won nine times.

Which elite contenders will wow fans in this final Triple Crown race? Read on to find out.

Orb

The Kentucky Derby winner is coming off a disappointing Preakness in which he finished fourth. Despite that setback, Orb is still considered the favorite, with 5-2 odds, according to the Daily Racing Form.

He posted a four-furlong time of 48.30 seconds in his latest workout, according to Yahoo!

To win the Belmont, a horse needs to have great endurance. Orb has that. The main reason that Orb lost in the Preakness was that he had no room to make a move. Working from the inside, he found way too much traffic to get a clean break. As his trainer Shug McGaughey told the New York Daily News:

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“In the Preakness nothing went right,” the trainer said. “The one post—I really thought there would be more speed in the race and spread out to get good position. That didn’t happen. I’m sure when the other riders had him down inside they weren’t going to let him out especially as slow as they were going and I think the racetrack was different. It was very loose. It just wasn’t our day. I think if things go right on Saturday well see a different horse than we saw two weeks ago.”

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Assuming he gets a post in the middle of the field, Orb should have a relatively clean break. He'll pick his spots and use his tremendous endurance and speed to close it out.  It takes a special horse to win the Belmont, and his Derby performance showed that he is a one-of-a-kind horse. Had he gotten a clean break at the Preakness, we could be talking about a potential Triple Crown.

Look for Orb to put on a real show for the fans, and take home the third leg.

Oxbow

Oxbow is coming off a stunning Preakness Stakes performance. The horse has 6-1 odds, according to the Daily Racing Form. 

His Preakness performance showed off his speed, but the big question for the horse at the Belmont will be sustaining it. The Belmont is the longest of the three Triple Crown races at 1.5 miles. Jockey Gary Stevens will have to pick his spots: If he breaks too early, Oxbow will fade; if he breaks too late, Oxbow won't be able to catch up.

If Stevens runs a smart race and makes his move at the right time, then there is no reason why Oxbow can't pull off another upset and win the last two legs of the Triple Crown. Stevens is a veteran jockey and knows the best way to race this horse.

If he doesn't get stuck in traffic and can get a clean break, then Oxbow has the closing speed to win it all. There are a lot of 'ifs,' however, and that's a main reason why his odds aren't higher. 

Unlimited Budget

This filly has plenty of speed to burn. At 12-1 odds, according to the Daily Racing Form, she's a bit of a long shot. But her speed could give her an advantage.

She posted a blazing 47.55 four-furlong time in workouts, according to the New York Daily News, which was faster than Orb. Her trainer, Todd Pletcher, told the Daily News that, "The work we saw this morning was the work we were hoping for."

Unlimited Budget will have to worry about breaking out too early. She'll likely be at the head of the pack early on, but needs a big enough lead to hold off the late-charging horses.

It might be tough for Unlimted Budget to win—it will be difficult to hold off Oxbow, even if she does get off to a faster start. Still, look for Unlimited Budget to at least show, with a real chance of pulling off the upset.