Belmont Stakes 2015 Post Positions: Horse Odds, Prize-Money Predictions and More

All eyes will be on American Pharoah on Saturday, as the odds-on favourite will attempt to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978 at the 2015 Belmont Stakes. With an increased purse and history on the line, the expectations are enormous, as fans and pundits alike can't wait to find out whether he will make history.

The New York Racing Association recently announced Belmont Stakes would raise this year's purse to $1.5 million, per the official website, and the distribution will likely look similar to that of this year's Preakness Stakes:

1	$900,000
2	$300,000
3	$165,000
4	$90,000
5	$45,000

American Pharoah heads a small but talented field at Belmont Park, which includes several other contenders who will make the colt's bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed a tough challenge. Here's a look at the field, complete with odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Mubtaahij	Mike 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	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

The favourite received a favourable draw―unlike in previous races―and will start from Post 5. 

Triple Crown Madness

One year ago, jockey Victor Espinoza led a three-year-old colt named California Chrome to consecutive wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and by the time the pair arrived at Belmont, they had the weight of the nation on their shoulders.

This seems to happen every time a potential Triple Crown winner emerges, but since 1978, every single horse has been unsuccessful. And exactly 12 months later, Espinoza is back with another contender.

His name is American Pharoah, and he's perhaps being hyped more than any contender before him, per ESPN's Mike Greenberg:

American Pharoah certainly looks faster than California Chrome, who fell just short of the Triple Crown last year, and AP looked impressive on a sloppy track at the Preakness Stakes.

Experienced trainer Bob Baffert told CNN's New Day he's confident his prized colt will finally break the drought:

Stable-mate Dortmund won't be running at the Belmont Stakes, and as far as raw pace goes, the giant colt appeared to be the only contender who was capable of matching the incredible favourite.

The Belmont Stakes is about more than just pace, however, and given the history of heartbreak that fans have witnessed since 1978, Slate advises everyone not to back American Pharoah to end the drought:

It's easy to get swept away by the excitement, but realistically speaking, the field for this year's Belmont Stakes is deeper and far more talented than last year's, where California Chrome still finished fourth.

The massive length of the track combined with the fact other horses will be far fresher than American Pharoah makes for an almost impossible challenge. Whatever happens, the colt will have to earn the Triple Crown.

Triple Crown Threats

Frosted and Materiality are widely regarded as the two biggest threats to American Pharoah's Triple Crown bid, and as shared by Sportsbook Racebook, neither ran in the Preakness Stakes:

As is so often the case, both horses will enter the race with fresh legs—unlike American Pharoah—and they have the raw speed to keep up with the potentially weary favourite and outlast him on the longer Belmont track.

Bleacher Report's Jessica Paquette has seen too many Triple Crown hopefuls fail to get too excited, and she believes one of the fresh horses will once again crush racing fans' dreams. She also came up with a surprise winner:

Mubtaahij looked impressive on the European racing circuit and in Dubai, and while his competition overseas was less talented than anything he's faced in the United States, he has experience on the longer distances. Racing at Belmont is as much about stamina as it is about raw speed, and Mubtaahij has the best track record when it comes to stamina.

The state of the track might ultimately make the difference. American Pharoah has always run well on wet tracks and looked dominant during the Preakness, which took place in dreadful conditions. AccuWeather.com says it might rain during the night, which would affect the condition of the track on Saturday.

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