Belmont Stakes 2013 Odds: Updated Lines on Every Horse After Post Draw

The 2013 Triple Crown season reaches its conclusion this weekend, as the horse racing world descends upon New York's hallowed Belmont Park for the 145th Belmont Stakes.

A year ago at this point, the sport had captured the nation's attention as I'll Have Another was scheduled to make a run for the first Triple Crown since 1978. Of course, I'll Have Another eventually pulled out prior to race day due to an injury and all the hype was for naught. But the important thing was just how aware people were that history could have been going down at the Belmont. 

This year's Belmont is having a little more difficult time creating that level of hype. 

Oxbow's shocking triumph at the 138th running at the Preakness Stakes in May left the horse racing world without a Triple Crown winner yet again. The chase for the sport's proverbial dragon continues, leaving the Belmont to manufacture a secondary story.

With Oxbow and Kentucky Derby winner Orb both in the field, Belmont officials got a best-possible scenario out of an untenable situation. 

Facing the two previous Triple Crown race winners is a series of new entrants. Of the nine horses to enter the Preakness Stakes, only Will Take Charge joins Orb and Oxbow in New York. Trainers and owners often decide against putting their thoroughbred through the Belmont's grueling trek, especially with these horses not being used to running races in such close proximity.

But with a few returning Kentucky Derby horses adorning the field, there is still plenty to look forward to on Saturday. Early Wednesday afternoon, the draw took place at Belmont, so let's check out how the odds have changed following the announcement. 

Event Information

When: Saturday, June 8

Where: Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Post Time: 6:20 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Complete Post Positions and Odds for 2013 Belmont Stakes

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Frac Daddy	Alan Garcia	Ken McPeek	30-1
2	Freedom Child	Luis Saez	Tom Albertrani	12-1
3	Overanalyze	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	8-1
4	Giant Finish	Edgar Prado	Anthony Dutrow	30-1
5	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	3-1
6	Incognito	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Kiaran McLaughlin	20-1
7	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	5-1
8	Midnight Taboo	Garrett Gomez	Todd Pletcher	30-1
9	Revolutionary	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	9-2
10	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
11	Vyjack	Julien Leparoux	Rudy Rodriguez	20-1
12	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	15-1
13	Unlimited Budget	Rosie Napravnik	Todd Pletcher	8-1
14	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	10-1

Post positions and odds courtesy of Daily Racing Form.

Horses to Watch

Orb (3-1)

Heading into the Preakness, Orb looked like he was arguably in the best position for a Triple Crown triumph in a half decade. Not since Big Brown had a horse won at the Kentucky Derby as the favorite, a feat which Orb pulled off in fine fashion.

Then the Preakness draw came. And Orb's chances of winning seemed crushed before the race even began. Drawing the inside post, Joel Rosario was tasked with a near-impossible task of keeping his horse in free space. Daily Racing Form's David Grening was one of many to note that only one horse had won from the inside post since 1961.

Orb (obviously) did not become the second. The three-year-old colt languished toward the middle of the pack as Rosario struggled with positioning, eventually finishing the race in fourth place. It was a defeat that shocked many, despite all of the historical connotations working against Orb.

What was most jarring was Orb's lack of secondary burst. As noted by Yahoo! Sports' Les Carpenter, Rosario was unable to get his horse to bite hard on the bridle—a death-knell sign in the jockey's eyes.

"That's why it's so hard to win the Triple Crown," Rosario said after the race.

Orb didn't draw such a difficult post this time around. Starting at the No. 5 post, Orb won't have the difficulty of the entire field barreling inside for positioning. He'll be able to keep a sweet middle ground in the start of the race, as pacing smooths itself out before the rocket-launching that comes down the stretch at the Belmont. 

Rosario might not get Orb to bite the bridle this time around, either. But he's in a far better position than he was a few weeks ago.

Oxbow (5-1)

Oxbow won't have the pressure of being the favorite on Saturday. That distinction still goes to Orb, though these lines will undoubtedly change over the coming days. Whether that's fair or foul, of course, is up to the interpretation.

That being said, Oxbow certainly isn't sneaking up on anyone the way he did at the Preakness. Before the Preakness, Oxbow was far better known for his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, than anything else. At 16-1 pre-race odds (per Bovada), Oxbow was an afterthought. His win at Pimlico was one of the biggest upsets in Preakness history, and the wire-to-wire dominance with which Gary Stevens rode him to victory was even more notable.

Drawing the No. 7 post, Oxbow is in a very good position. Smack dab in the middle of the field, Stevens should be able to run a mostly unencumbered race. And as Orb rests just two posts away, Oxbow's cabinet of supporters should know where his toughest competition lies at all times. 

That being said, Lukas seemed relatively unconcerned about the post draw in an interview with Reuters' Larry Fine.

"At a mile and a half with that long run and the sweeping turns, we have a tendency to overanalyze the post position draw," Lukas said. "I'm more concerned about who is around me and what they're going to do than what gate we got."

In reality, Lukas' feeling on the matter is probably right. The 77-year-old trainer has been in the game long enough to know that your horse's form means far more on race day than a silly number above his head. And that the bond between jockey and horse arguably matters more than anything.

At the Preakness, Stevens pushed Oxbow hard early. His horse responded in fine form and kept up a high pace throughout the race, fending off a drove of oncoming competition. Stevens won't be able to do the same this time around. The Belmont is too long, to winding of a race to keep a high pace throughout.

It will be interesting to see whether Oxbow and Stevens can make the necessary adjustments. 

Unlimited Budget (8-1)

You'll be surprised to hear this: Todd Pletcher is a busy man. One of the sport's most active and most successful trainers, Pletcher has amassed quite the stable of horses for the Belmont. He's responsible for the care of five of the entrants for Saturday's race, only one (Midnight Taboo) coming off at exorbitantly high odds.

If there's any safe bet out there, it's that Pletcher will have a horse in close contention. Revolutionary opened at 9-2 odds, the second-best in this field, and Overanalyze could be refreshed after taking the Preakness Stakes off. 

Nevertheless, Pletcher's most intriguing horse from a storyline perspective is Unlimited Budget. A filly, Unlimited Budget is working against history. Rags to Riches became the only filly to win the Belmont Stakes since 1905 six years ago, stacking the odds pretty high against Unlimited Budget from a past experience perspective.

But there's one common factor between Rags to Riches and Unlimited Budget: Pletcher. He was the trainer behind the filly's shocking victory, giving him enough clout to make Unlimited Budget worthy of consideration. 

Plus, Unlimited Budget will be ridden by a jockey looking to make history. Rosie Napravnik is scheduled to become the first female jockey to ever ride in all three Triple Crown races in the same year, having spent the first two on Mylute. Napravnik's run atop Mylute was semi-successful, finishing fifth at the Kentucky Derby and third at the Preakness.

She's a rising name up the sport's jockey rankings, as she looks to become just the second female to win a Triple Crown race. At the very least, the duality of historical possibilities makes Unlimited Budget a curiosity. 

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