Belmont Stakes Draw 2015: Start Time, Entry Lineup and TV Schedule

For the second year in a row, the Belmont Stakes will have an extra charge of meaning with a Triple Crown hopeful in the field.

American Pharoah will look to do what 2014 contender California Chrome could not and win the Belmont Stakes, set for Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. 

The Belmont is called "The Test of the Champion," and for good reason. Only 11 horses have managed to complete the Triple Crown, while 21 horses have come down to the Belmont Stakes only to fail to finish with the all-important victory. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978.

It's an eight-horse field for Saturday, and Wednesday's post-position draw will go a long way toward setting up the final bits of analysis and narrative before the race.

Here's a look at the TV schedule for the draw, followed by the current lineup and odds for the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

2015 Belmont Stakes Post Draw

Date: Wednesday, June 3

Location: Rockefeller Center in New York, New York

Time (ET): 11:15 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.

TV/Live Stream: NYRA.com (membership required)

Lineup, Odds

Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	4-5
Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	5-1
Materiality	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	13-2
Madefromlucky	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	12-1
Mubtaahij	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Michael De Kock	16-1
Tale of Verve	Gary Stevens	Dallas Stewart	20-1
Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	25-1
Frammento	Mike Smith	Nick Zito	33-1

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of June 3 at 5 a.m. ET.

American Pharoah demonstrated at Churchill Downs and Pimlico Race Course that he has the ability to run different races and come up with the same results. At the Derby, AP started way outside at the No. 18 post, only to steadily maneuver his way inside—thanks to the guidance of jockey Victor Espinoza, who will atop the thoroughbred on Saturday—and hold off Dortmund and Firing Line with a lung-busting gallop on the home stretch.

According to Belmont-Stakes.info, the No. 8 post (farthest outside possible) has produced just five winners. Still, the small field eliminates the more troublesome posts farther out, and American Pharoah's power would figure to be a boon in a small field.

The best post at the Belmont Stakes is the No. 1 gate, producing 23 winners.

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

This too bodes well for American Pharoah, as he won the Preakness starting off in the inside rail, boxed in by a 17-hand horse in Dortmund, no less.

While notable horses such as Dortmund, Firing Line and Carpe Diem are nowhere to be found in the Belmont Stakes lineup, don't think for a second that American Pharoah has a cakewalk to the Triple Crown. Last year saw Triple Crown new shooter Tonalist beat out California Chrome at the Belmont Stakes.

Tonalist essentially announced himself as a contender by winning the 2014 Peter Pan Stakes (Grade 2) at Belmont Park, only to hold off racing in the Derby or Preakness. The rest and preparation over 12 furlongs in Elmont certainly paid off.

Madefromlucky could follow a very similar script. This Kentucky-bred colt won the Peter Pan Stakes, like Tonalist, on May 9, and his handlers have abstained from running the horse at Churchill Downs or Pimlico. 

Frosted's odds single him out as the top contender to American Pharoah. The three-year-old boasts two wins and four runner-up finishes in eight starts, per Equibase.com. Frosted finished fourth at the Derby but was held out of the Preakness.

Keen Ice is another to watch out for. Trainer Dale Romans has been heaping effusive praise upon his horse in the buildup to Belmont.

"He couldn't be more perfect than he is right now," Romans said, per Jonathan Lintner and Jennie Rees of the Courier-Journal. "It's just a matter of being good enough. I've never had a horse this perfect before. He just never has a bad day. The more he runs, it seems the better he'll get—the better he does get."

Despite all the chatter regarding stamina and the daunting task of three Grade 1 races in five weeks, trainer Bob Baffert seemed confident in American Pharoah's health and ability after the colt arrived in Elmont, per Melissa Hoppert of the New York Times:

"

I think he looked really well for what he’s been through, all the shipping and all. I don’t think he’s lost any weight. He looks like a horse that’s run in two big races. I think his energy level, I could tell when he got off and I walked him around there, he still feels pretty strong. Hopefully, he’ll just keep that these next few days.

"

At 1 1/2 miles, the Belmont Stakes is the longest of the three Triple Crown races. Considering so many horses are coming in with plenty of rest as compared to American Pharoah, his best shot at winning this race might be with an inside post. History smiles upon the No. 1 and No. 3 posts especially, and American Pharoah by no means needs to go wire-to-wire to win this one.

With a steady jockey in Espinoza and a fluid stride that makes difficult stretch runs look easy, American Pharoah's race could very well come down to correctly timing that final, famous show of speed and power.