Belmont Stakes 2015 Odds: Jockeys to Trust, Fastest Horses and More Picks

As American Pharoah makes his run at history, he will have a big obstacle to overcome Saturday.

Six of his rivals in the third jewel of the Triple Crown did not run in the Preakness, which means they should be well-rested and ready to run their best races.

While American Pharoah (10-13, according to Odds Shark) was much the best in winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and has had no setbacks in his training efforts for the upcoming race, he still has to prove it all again in the Belmont Stakes.

Two horses, Frosted and Materiality, are quality opponents who will be tough to beat. Frosted got off to a terrible start in the Kentucky Derby, but once he started to run, he passed rivals on the outside and moved all the way up to fourth place.

Post Position	Horse	Odds	Jockey	Rider's Best Belmont Finish
1	Mubtaahij	14-1	Irad Ortiz	Has never ridden in Belmont Stakes
2	Tale of Verve	20-1	Gary Stevens	First place (three times)
3	Madefromlucky	14-1	Javier Castellano	Second place
4	Frammento	33-1	Mike Smith	First place (two times)
5	American Pharoah	10-13	Victor Espinoza	Second place
6	Frosted	11-2	Joel Rosario	First place
7	Keen Ice	25-1	Kent Desormeaux	First place
8	Materiality	13-2	John Velazquez	First place

Todd Pletcher trains Materiality, and he has excelled at getting horses ready for the Belmont Stakes, particularly when they have been well-rested. Eight of Pletcher's horses have finished first, second or third in the Belmont since 2006, including 2013 winner Palace Malice.

Materiality has more than Pletcher's touch going for him. He won the Florida Derby, and he has the requisite speed and power to beat good horses in a big race. The only question is whether he can beat American Pharoah here.

If American Pharoah is on his A-game, the chances are good that he will survive and win the Triple Crown. However, if he is anything less than his best, Materiality and Frosted will have the best chances to beat him.

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Gary Stevens is the most decorated jockey in the race. He will pilot long-shot Tale of Verve, and Stevens has won the Belmont Stakes three times in his career.

Kent Desormeaux will ride Keen Ice, and he has been to the winner's circle at the Belmont Stakes once. The same holds for John Velazquez (Materiality) and Mike Smith (Frammento).

Victor Espinoza is one of the nation's top riders, but he has never won the Belmont. His top finish came in 2001, when he led A P Valentine to a second-place finish.

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Predicted Finish

1. American Pharoah: and into the history books
2. Frosted: good effort but not quite enough
3. Madefromlucky: coming hard at the end
4. Materiality: somewhat short when he needed it most