Belmont Stakes 2015: Latest Jockey News, Post Positions and Betting Odds
For bettors, Wednesday's assigning of post positions for the Belmont Stakes is a large part of the battle, but it's just getting started as the march to Saturday continues.
By now, bettors should know the deal with the horses. American Pharoah is gunning for the Triple Crown, trainer Todd Pletcher is bringing a couple of hopeful spoilers to the field, and other names, such as Frosted, are looking to steal the spotlight.
What about chatter surrounding the jockeys?
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It's something worth watching, so let's take a look at some of the notes about the men who will orchestrate the race.
2015 Belmont Stakes Post Positions
| 1 | Mubtaahij | Michael De Kock | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 14-1 |
| 2 | Tale of Verve | Dallas Stewart | Gary Stevens | 20-1 |
| 3 | Madefromlucky | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano | 16-1 |
| 4 | Frammento | Nick Zito | Mike Smith | 40-1 |
| 5 | American Pharoah | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza | 2-3 |
| 6 | Frosted | Kiaran McLaughlin | Joel Rosario | 6-1 |
| 7 | Keen Ice | Dale Romans | Kent Desormeaux | 25-1 |
| 8 | Materiality | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 13-2 |
Latest Jockey News
Pletcher Horses Get Good News
Even without the recognizable Carpe Diem in the field, Pletcher seems to have two of the sport's best jockeys in hand for the event in New York.
According to Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form, Pletcher made an announcement as to who will ride his two contenders, Materiality and Madefromlucky:
For Materiality, the rich get richer, as Hall of Famer John Velazquez was the top-earning jockey last year and only furthers his favorable odds.
Madefromlucky seems, well, lucky to have Javier Castellano up top, too. The Venezuela native has eight prior appearances at the event and set the record for jockey earnings in 2013.
In short, Pletcher makes out like a bandit, with two duos perhaps strong enough to take down American Pharoah.
Keen Ice Jockey Confident
When one talks about the Belmont Stakes, it seems easy to gloss over Keen Ice on first pass.
It's a rough mistake to make.
Keen Ice, a Dale Romans-trained horse, finished just seventh at the Kentucky Derby before skipping the Preakness Stakes. To make the resume appear even shakier, the colt doesn't feature a win in 2015, with his last win occurring back in September of last year.
If Keen Ice is to reach his potential, it will happen Saturday with jockey Kent Desormeaux up top.
Desormeaux isn't a household name like, say, Victor Espinoza, but he is a Hall of Famer with six Triple Crown triumphs under his belt, including the 2009 Belmont Stakes.
He sounds confident in Keen Ice, too, per Jonathan Lintner and Jennie Rees of the Courier-Journal: "They're not going to go 46 (for the half-mile) in the Belmont, otherwise you'd have no chance. So they'll slow it down and that will put me naturally closer and if Keen Ice finishes like he finished in the Derby, he has a chance. He'll be competitive."
If a jockey such as Desormeaux believes in Keen Ice, bettors may want to do the same.
Victor Espinoza's Approach
Speaking of Espinoza, the main question surrounding his historic third chance at a Triple Crown focuses not on his ability but his composure.
Espinoza struggled twice in his two prior appearances in New York as a winner in the first two legs of the legendary stretch. This year, Espinoza seems better than ever, though, orchestrating strategies atop American Pharoah to perfection.
At the Kentucky Derby, Espinoza directed a come-from-behind strategy to best the field. Later, at the Preakness Stakes, in muddy conditions and in danger of getting pinned against the rail, Espinoza put on a wire-to-wire approach to blow away the competition.
Now, he's acting like he's been to the Belmont before in this scenario.
"I have no pressure right now," Espinoza said, per Chris Erskine of the Los Angeles Times. "I treat it like I do all races. I've been there."
USA Today's Dan Wolken offered another notable:
While it would be silly to expect anything different, the words still mean quite a lot.
Espinoza isn't rattled by the stage. Even out of the No. 5 slot with lots of speed to his outside shoulder, bettors can expect the seasoned jockey to put on the strategy with the best odds to pull off a triumph.
Stats and information via BelmontStakes.com unless otherwise specified.
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark as of June 4.
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