Belmont Stakes Entries 2016: Purse Payout, Vegas Betting Odds and Field Lineup
Exaggerator will enter the 2016 Belmont Stakes as the overwhelming favorite as the horse looks to win his second major race in a row.
The horse made impressive charges late at both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, winning the latter over Nyquist.
Twelve other horses will look to take down Exaggerator on Saturday with a $1.5 million purse at stake. Take a look below at the lineup and payout for the Belmont Stakes.
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| 1 | Governor Malibu | 14/1 |
| 2 | Destin | 9/1 |
| 3 | Cherry Wine | 8/1 |
| 4 | Suddenbreakingnews | 7/1 |
| 5 | Stradivari | 7/1 |
| 6 | Gettysburg | 40/1 |
| 7 | Seeking the Soul | 40/1 |
| 8 | Forever d'Oro | 40/1 |
| 9 | Trojan Nation | 40/1 |
| 10 | Lani | 16/1 |
| 11 | Exaggerator | 5/4 |
| 12 | Brody's Cause | 14/1 |
| 13 | Creator | 16/1 |
| 1 | $800,000 |
| 2 | $280,000 |
| 3 | $150,000 |
| 4 | $100,000 |
| 5 | $60,000 |
| 6 | $45,000 |
| 7 | $35,000 |
| 8 | $30,000 |
Exaggerator already has a first- and second-place finish under his belt from the previous two major races, but the biggest obstacle for the colt at the Belmont Stakes will be his post position, as he starts to the outside at No. 11.
He will start on the outside and have to work his way inside to get in prime position for the final stretch. Making matters worse is that most of his top competitors are in ideal posts.
Cherry Wine, Destin, Stradivari and Suddenbreakingnews all start from positions No. 2 to 5, so they will be able to get out to quick leads.
Destin and Stradivari are trained by Todd Pletcher, who has had some success at this track before. Per Odds Shark's Mike Dempsey, Pletcher has won the Belmont Stakes two times.
Destin returns after missing the Preakness and Stradivari is back after falling to Exaggerator at Pimlico, but the latter looks to be a more significant threat.
The horse was among the leaders in the Preakness before fading down the stretch to fourth place. Pletcher believes Stradivari could once again contend on Saturday, per Daily Racing Form's David Grening (via ESPN.com).
"I think he could potentially be the pacesetter," Pletcher said. "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."
Stradivari is a talented horse who could fulfill Pletcher's expectations, but with Belmont being the longest track of the three major races at 1 ½ miles, he has not yet shown that he can keep the same pace all the way through the finish.
Cherry Wine finished strong at the Preakness with a second-place result, so he could also contend. Suddenbreakingnews is another highly regarded horse that could make some noise.
Yet, Exaggerator is clearly the best horse in the race. He is a strong finisher, having nearly caught Nyquist at the Kentucky Derby and overtaking the lead late the the Preakness.
Exaggerator is the only horse that has shown the ability close out races, so he is the safe bet to win the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
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