Belmont Stakes 2016: Projected Prize-Money Earnings, Order of Finish and More

The 2016 Belmont Stakes brings a close to the Triple Crown season, with Exaggerator seeking to get a leg up in the battle for Horse of the Year three weeks after winning the Preakness Stakes. 

There is going to be stiff competition from the field. In fact, the 13 horses entered into Saturday's race in Elmont, New York, are the most for the Belmont Stakes since 2013. The 1 ½-mile track is a test of endurance that separates all of the contenders from the pretenders. 

With just a few hours of preparation remaining for the horses and their jockeys, here's how things project to shake out and the money that will be waiting for the winner. 

Position	Horse	Odds	Jockey	Trainer
Win	Exaggerator	5-4	Kent Desormeaux	Keith Desormeaux
Place	Destin	9-1	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher
Show	Stradivari	7-1	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher
4	Governor Malibu	14-1	Joel Rosario	Christophe Clement
5	Gettysburg	40-1	Paco Lopez	Steve Asmussen
6	Brody's Cause	14-1	Luis Saez	Dale Romans
7	Suddenbreakingnews	7-1	Mike Smith	Donnie Von Hemel
8	Lani	16-1	Yutaka Take	Mikio Matsunaga
9	Cherry Wine	8-1	Corey Lanerie	Dale Romans
10	Trojan Nation	40-1	Aaron Gryder	Paddy Gallagher
11	Creator	16-1	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Steve Asmussen
12	Seeking The Soul	40-1	Florent Geroux	Dallas Stewart
13	Forever d'Oro	40-1	Jose Ortiz	Dallas Stewart

2016 Belmont Stakes Purse

Position	Prize Money
Win	$800,000
Place	$280,000
Show	$150,000
4th	$100,000
5th	$60,000
6th	$45,000
7th	$35,000
8th	$30,000
Total Purse	$1.5 million

For those looking at odds trends, Exaggerator may not want to be the horse punters put money on. Per Odds Shark's Mike Dempsey, the Belmont favorite has won three times in the last 20 years, and American Pharoah was the first to pull off the feat since Afleet Alex in 2005 when he completed the Triple Crown last year. 

Yet there is another, more substantial factor to consider that does play into Exaggerator and jockey Kent Desormeaux's hands on Saturday, per Kevin Byrne of AccuWeather.com:

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Stormy weather could interfere with Saturday's running of the 148th Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

[...]

Saturday will turn out mostly cloudy with a few showers and thunderstorms moving into the area toward race time, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Edwards.

[...]

"Some of the storms could be on the strong side with downpours and gusty winds," Edwards said. "[The] best case scenario is that the thunderstorms hold off until after the race."

"

Exaggerator's triumph at the Preakness Stakes came on a muddy track because of heavy rain in Maryland. He also overcame a bad track to win the Santa Anita Derby, so there's clearly something about the horse and Desormeaux that works well in sloppy conditions. 

Looking at potential challengers for Exaggerator, trainer success at the Belmont Stakes is one key factor to consider. Todd Pletcher, who has two wins at this race since 2007, brings two horses with him to New York—Stradivari and Destin. 

Stradivari is the wild card in this equation because there's little track record to go on. He's run four races in his career, winning twice, and there's no telling how his stamina will play in the longest race of his career. 

Destin's momentum after winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby was wiped away quickly in the Kentucky Derby when he was bumped out of the gate, which pushed him to the outside, and jockey Javier Castellano was unable to get him back in the mix. 

Speed is not Destin's strongest asset. He's a horse built on power and stamina, taking advantage of the opposition wearing down. On a potentially slow track due to the bad weather, his formula has the potential to upend Exaggerator's quest. 

Based on Exaggerator's track record, he has the edge. No other horse in the Belmont field has stood out thus far. His ability to adapt in bad weather is just the cherry on top of this sundae that will see the three-year-old celebrating a second win in three weeks.