Belmont Stakes 2015: Post Positions, Latest Vegas Odds and Picks After Post Draw

American Pharoah's run at the Triple Crown at the 2015 Belmont Stakes will begin from the fifth post position. The official post draw was conducted on Wednesday afternoon. Here are the results and odds for the eight-horse field, per the Courier-Journal:

Post Position	Horse	Odds
1	Mubtaahij	10-1
2	Tale of Verve	15-1
3	Madefromlucky	12-1
4	Frammento	30-1
5	American Pharoah	3-5
6	Frosted	5-1
7	Keen Ice	20-1
8	Materiality	6-1

What Post Positions Have Meant Historically

Post Position	Winners
1	23
2	11
3	15
4	10
5	14
6	7
7	13
8	6

Historically, the rail position has produced the most winners at the Belmont Stakes. Because the race is 1 ½ miles, there's more than enough track to facilitate a strong late move by a horse from the No. 1 spot. That might help sway bettors to throw some money on Mubtaahij. 

The length of the track helps to lessen the impact on a horse that begins the race with the entire field pressing against his right side. The small eight-horse field would also seem to decrease the problems a rail position might otherwise create.

The stats behind the eighth position have to be put into the proper perspective. Only six horses have won from this spot, but normally, this isn't the furthest outside position as it will be on Saturday. That said, there aren't a plethora of outside positions that have produced winners.

In fact, the eighth spot has generated the most winners of any from eight through 13.

With American Pharoah coming from the fifth spot, it's only natural we look at the amount of winners that have come from there. The 14 horses that have won from the fifth spot is the third most of any post position in the Belmont Stakes' history.

Prediction

Predicted Finish	Horse
1	American Pharoah
2	Frosted
3	Materiality

With the post positions finally available, American Pharoah's status as the favorite has been confirmed. The horse showed versatility by winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with different track conditions and varied post positions.

Ron Turcotte, former jockey for Secretariat who won the Triple Crown in 1973, told Steve Petrella of the Sporting News:

"He [American Pharoah] seems to be very versatile to me. You can place him whenever you want in a race, then just let him gallop on. Only a couple horses can do that, but he seems to be that kind of horse."

American Pharoah has what it takes to overcome an inside position. That's especially the case in a race with so few horses on the track.

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer for one of American Pharoah's biggest competitors, Frosted, knows it's going to take a Herculean effort to prevent the favorite from winning the Belmont Stakes. McLaughlin said this to Ron Mitchell of the Blood-Horse on Monday:

"We have to have an 'A-plus' day and he has to have a 'B' day. But it's a mile-and-a-half, it's a different race over a different track and we're here. We're as close to the paddock as you can get. So it's nice just to walk through the tunnel and be at the paddock."

The sixth post position isn't a horrible draw for Frosted, but it will only be good enough for second place. Running so close to a horse that has already proven superior to him in the Derby—when Frosted finished fourth—will likely cause McLaughlin's horse to accept a second-place finish.

The third-place horse will likely be a distant contender, but I like Materiality. He has the outside post position, which could give him an early lead. However, by the midway point, American Pharoah and Frosted will have closed the gap and surpassed him until history is made in a relatively close finish.