Belmont Stakes Draw 2016: Start Time, Entry Lineup and TV Schedule
After he ended Nyquist's Triple Crown quest, all eyes are on Exaggerator heading into the 2016 Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
Nyquist won't be there to try to gain a measure of revenge on the horse who denied his chance at history in the Preakness Stakes. Trainer Doug O'Neill pulled the Kentucky Derby winner out of Belmont for health reasons.
With Nyquist out of the picture, Exaggerator is the heavy favorite to reign supreme this weekend in Elmont, New York.
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Below is the full starting order following Wednesday's draw and a preview for the 2016 Belmont Stakes.
Belmont Stakes Schedule
When: Saturday, June 11
Post Time: 6:32 p.m. ET
TV Info: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Belmont Stakes Field
| 1 | Governor Malibu | Joel Rosario | Christophe Clement | 12-1 |
| 2 | Destin | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 6-1 |
| 3 | Cherry Wine | Corey Lanerie | Dale Romans | 8-1 |
| 4 | Suddenbreakingnews | Mike Smith | Donnie Von Hemel | 10-1 |
| 5 | Stradivari | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 5-1 |
| 6 | Gettysburg | Paco Lopez | Steve Asmussen | 30-1 |
| 7 | Seeking the Soul | Florent Geroux | Dallas Stewart | 30-1 |
| 8 | Forever d'Oro | Jose Ortiz | Dallas Stewart | 30-1 |
| 9 | Trojan Nation | Aaron Gryder | Paddy Gallagher | 30-1 |
| 10 | Lani | Yutaka Take | Mikio Matsunaga | 20-1 |
| 11 | Exaggerator | Kent Desormeaux | Keith Desormeaux | 9-5 |
| 12 | Brody's Cause | Luis Saez | Dale Romans | 20-1 |
| 13 | Creator | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Steve Asmussen | 10-1 |
Belmont Preview
The 2016 Belmont Stakes is Exaggerator's to lose. Not only is he the strongest horse in this year's field, his main rival (Nyquist) won't be running at all.
Even the nature of the race itself seemingly plays right into Exaggerator's hands. At 1 ½ miles, the Belmont Stakes is the longest of the three Triple Crown races. For some horses—particularly those who are used to running at the front of the pack early—that is a significant issue.
Exaggerator, on the other hand, excels at staying near the middle of the field for most of the race and then surging down the final stretch. The strategy nearly paid off at the Kentucky Derby but then delivered in spades at the Preakness Stakes:
Jockey Kent Desormeaux highlighted one potential problem for the colt, though, per Daily Racing Form's Marcus Hersh (via ESPN.com): "There's the human element of the race. Every rider knows you're going a mile-and-a-half. No one's in a hurry. Everyone knows they have to save something for the finish, so generally speaking, the pace is moderate."
When a lot of jockeys are using the same mentality, Exaggerator's closing ability becomes less of an advantage.
A lot is also riding on—no pun intended—Desormeaux timing Exaggerator's finishing kick just right. If he pushes the horse too early, then he risks tiring the colt out before the finish line. If he waits too long, then he might run out of track in the same way he and Exaggerator failed to catch Nyquist at Churchill Downs:
While Exaggerator is rightly the odds-on favorite, he unquestionably has some tough competition at Belmont Park.
Suddenbreakingnews has one win and one second-place finish in his four graded-stakes races. He also has the benefit of having not run in the Preakness Stakes, so he'll be much more fresh come Saturday.
Stradivari will be a wild card. The three-year-old picked up two wins—neither of which were graded stakes—before entering the Preakness field. All things considered, a fourth-place finish at Pimlico Race Course was a strong showing for Stradivari.
Trainer Todd Pletcher discussed how he and jockey John Velazquez will likely approach the race, per David Grening of Daily Racing Form (via ESPN.com): "I think he could potentially be the pacesetter. If not, he's going to be forwardly placed. The key is if he'll just turn off a little bit and get into a comfortable rhythm. We feel like he'll keep galloping."
As good as Exaggerator is, history points to a different horse finishing first Saturday. Before American Pharoah's Triple Crown victory, only twice since 2000—Point Given in 2001 and Afleet Alex in 2005—did a horse win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in the same year.
Exaggerator is talented enough to buck the trend, but it won't be a major surprise if an underdog makes the trip to the winner's circle at Belmont Park.
Notes: The Belmont field is courtesy of the event's Twitter account, and Belmont Stakes odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.
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