2015 Belmont Stakes Field: Horses and Jockeys Worth Backing in 147th Race

Of the borderline countless things to keep track of when it comes to the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes, the horses and the jockeys up top reign supreme. 

It sounds obvious, but the Preakness Stakes a few weeks back threw what bettors must pay attention to for a loop—the sloppy conditions thanks to storms grounded serious contenders such as Dortmund and Firing Line as American Pharoah cruised to a wire-to-wire victory.

Now is the time to reel the thinking back in, though, as a much, much stronger field heads to New York for the sport's iteration of a marathon over a long trek.

Below, let's take a look at the order, how Las Vegas feels on the matter and a few duos to trust.

2015 Belmont Stakes Post Positions

Post Position	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
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	14-1
4	Frammento	Nick Zito	Mike Smith	40-1
5	American Pharoah	Bob Baffert	Victor Espinoza	5-7
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

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark as of June 5.

Horse-Jockey Tandems to Back 

Frosted and Joel Rosario

Al Bello/Getty Images

On his lonesome, Frosted is a strong bet.

While the sixth post isn't ideal, and especially not next to American Pharoah, the colt touts the closing speed to hang with any horse in the sport down the stretch, storming from behind at the Kentucky Derby to finish fourth.

Now feel free to sprinkle in jockey Joel Rosario, who continues to use the come-from-behind approach to great effect as the event draws near. Pennsylvania Sports sums up a recent triumph:

Bettors should know all about Rosario, for better or worse.

Those who took the dive with him this time one year ago came up big, while those who played it safe feel some sort of spite toward the legendary jockey. In the same event last year, Rosario rode Tonalist to an upset victory, ruining the Triple Crown chances of California Chrome.

With a decent post and a wealth of talent coming from both parties, it's not one to ignore ahead of the race.

Materiality and John Velazquez

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

When it comes to the Belmont Stakes, few things are more of a guarantee than a Todd Pletcher-trained horse showing well. 

The trainer has been on fire in recent years in New York, something perhaps sure to continue thanks to the presence of Materiality. Granted, the colt drew the worst possible spot at the draw, sitting all the way outside and perhaps needing to run longer than any other contestant to the finish line.

Still, if there's a jockey who can compensate for the slight disadvantage, it's John Velazquez.

As Ed Gray of the Boston Herald points out, Materiality struggled to get free of a deep field at Churchill Downs before a sixth-place finish but still posted good numbers after the congestion with a different jockey up top: "If you can forgive the Todd Pletcher-trained colt’s Derby performance, compromised by a slow start and early traffic, there’s a lot to like about Materiality, who actually ran respectably at Churchill Downs while closing 11 positions to check in sixth."

With less congestion to hold him back and Velazquez up top this time—a Hall of Famer who was North America's top earner last year—Pletcher has a serious upset contender on his hands bettors will want to back.

American Pharoah and Victor Espinoza 

While predictable—just look at how Las Vegas feels—there's not a better duo to back than American Pharoah and jockey Victor Espinoza.

The duo seems to defy conventional wisdom on a regular basis. At the Kentucky Derby, which featured one of the deepest fields to hit Churchill Downs in a decade or more, Espinoza struck late for the win.

On a quick turnaround at the Preakness Stakes in muddy conditions due to storms, Espinoza refused to let American Pharoah get pinned on the rail, instead charging for a start-to-finish victory.

It's an impressive resume to date by a horse who continues to get better each time out despite short rest periods, but perhaps even more impressive is Espinoza's historic quest, which Bryan Altman of CBS Boston chronicles:

"

Espinoza has won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes three times each and each time those wins were back-to-back – giving Espinoza a chance at the Triple Crown. The three horses he’s won with were War Emblem in 2002, California Chrome in 2014 and American Pharoah in 2015. Espinoza is the first jockey in history to have three separate attempts at winning the Triple Crown and if he wins will become the first Latino jockey to ever win the Triple Crown as well.

"

At some point, the persistence and ability to make it to the promised land has to pay off, right?

The third time figures to be the charm for Espinoza, who clearly has a keen understanding of what American Pharoah can do, when and how.

If it all comes together one more time, bettors will wind up feeling comfortable playing it safe after the approach burned them last year.

Stats and information via BelmontStakes.com unless otherwise specified.