Belmont Stakes 2013: Horses That Benefited Most from Post Positions Draw

Heading into Wednesday’s draw, the favorites for the 2013 Belmont Stakes were already determined. But what wasn’t known was what post position Orb and Oxbow would get, as well as those not considered to be contenders.

Well, now we know and it does improve some original non-contenders’ chances at coming out victorious at the 145th running of the race. Here’s a look at what the draw revealed in terms of post positions, brought to us via the official Twitter account of the Belmont Stakes:

There are several horses that have great post positions, but not the best odds to win the Belmont Stakes. Below is an in-depth look at which horses benefited the most from the post positions draw as well as how they might do some late Saturday afternoon.

*All post positions, morning lines and information about horses, jockeys, trainers and owners were obtained via the official website of the Belmont Stakes unless otherwise noted.

 

Frac Daddy, No. 1, Currently 30-1

First and foremost, there was no bigger winner at the post positions draw than Frac Daddy, who secured the inside post for the Belmont Stakes. But as you can see above, he’s still a major underdog to win the race.

While the odds are certainly against Frac Daddy, the No. 1 post position has won the Belmont Stakes more times than a horse in any other position, according to Belmont-Stakes.info. The horse starting at the inside post has won 23 times—the second closest being the third and fifth posts, each with 13 victories apiece.

It wasn’t even announced that Frac Daddy was going to be competing in the Belmont Stakes until Monday morning, according to Bill Bighaus of the Billings Gazette. Frac Daddy finished in 16th place at the Kentucky Derby and didn’t run in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Starting from the No. 1 post at the Belmont Stakes, Frac Daddy will attempt to erase memory of his Kentucky Derby performance and look to become the 24th horse to win after starting from the inside post. Is it possible? You bet. Is it likely? Not really.

Belmont Stakes Prediction: 8th Place

 

Giant Finish, No. 4, Currently 30-1

Giant Finish could end making quite a bit of history at the Belmont Stakes this Saturday. But it’s going to be far from easy. He will be trying to become the first New York-bred horse to win at the Belmont Stakes since 1882. That’s a very, very long time ago.

Can Giant Finish break what some would call a curse? His 30-1 morning line suggests that it’s unlikely that he finishes before any horse, but it’s certainly possible considering he landed a good post position—fourth. Horses in the fourth post position have won the race nine times in its history.

There is somewhat of an interesting story about Giant Finish, but it doesn’t really involve him. It’s about his owner, Andy Cohen. Cohen was a part owner of Big Brown, who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown a couple of years, but failed to win at the Belmont Stakes.

Giant Finish enters this year’s Belmont Stakes looking to accomplish what Big Brown couldn’t for Cohen. Giant Finish was absent from the Preakness and finished 10th at the Kentucky Derby.

Belmont Stakes Prediction: 7th Place

 

Freedom Child, No. 2, Currently 8-1

Freedom Child is definitely one of the favorites to come out on top at this year’s Belmont Stakes and is in great position to win it all after Wednesday’s draw. While Freedom Child entered Wednesday as a contender, he didn’t know that he’d have a better starting position than both Orb and Oxbow.

The draw revealed that Freedom Child would be right next to Frac Daddy on the inside while Orb (No. 5) and Oxbow (No. 7) would be more toward the middle of the pack. Advantage: Freedom Child. With such a great post position, Freedom Child has a great opportunity to upset the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners.

As Ed McNamara of Newsday writes, bettors may focus on Freedom Child because of his ability to upend the two primary favorites and considering he has moderately good odds compared to the rest of the horses. Betting is beside the point, though. The main point is that Freedom Child looks like the horse to upend Orb and Oxbow.

“He’s ready,” trainer Tom Albertrani told McNamara. “He looks good and we want to keep him that way.” He probably looks even better knowing that he’ll be in the No. 2 post position. That alone could help him win the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes.

Belmont Stakes Prediction: 4th Place