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Belmont Stakes Field 2019: Post Positions, Odds and Predictions for All Horses
June 6, 2019
War of Will has been in the spotlight for different reasons during the first two races of the Triple Crown.
Before he won the Preakness Stakes, he became famous for being the horse impeded by the disqualified Maximum Security at the Kentucky Derby.
Going into Saturday's Belmont Stakes, War of Will is in the headlines because of his potential to run away with his second Triple Crown victory.
Of course, he can't follow in the footsteps of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify, but finishing with back-to-back wins in the Preakness and Belmont would be quite an accomplishment.
War of Will is expected to face stiff competition from a few other horses, but the Belmont Stakes field is not as loaded as the previous two races.
Post Positions and Odds
Predictions for All Horses
1. War of Will
2. Master Fencer
3. Tacitus
4. Bourbon War
5. Everfast
6. Joevia
7. Tax
8. Sir Winston
9. Intrepid Heart
10. Spinoff
Just like the first two races of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes has a good chance of being dominated by the favored horses.
War of Will, Tacitus and Master Fencer should enforce their will on the race at some point, and it could be early if War of Will and Tacitus both get off to a fast start on the outside.
War of Will is in good form following his victory at the Preakness Stakes, while Tacitus put together a solid run to third at the Kentucky Derby.
As the two favorites in the field, War of Will and Tacitus are expected to take control of the race once they circle the pack from the outside post positions.
If everything goes to plan for Master Fencer, he should be in the mix for first place as well since he appears to be the best horse of those on the inside post positions.
Master Fencer used strong closing speed to end up in sixth place at the Kentucky Derby, and that could be an asset that helps him fend off surging horses while challenging War of Will.
The majority of the other horses in the field can't be trusted enough to pick them to finish in the top three based on recent performances.
Tax and Spinoff were 14th and 18th, respectively, at the Kentucky Derby, while Bourbon War ended up eighth at the Preakness Stakes.
Joevia, Sir Winston and Intrepid Heart are participating in their first Triple Crown races, but none of them are viewed as significant challengers at the moment.
If you are looking for a dark-horse pick, Everfast could be the best option out of post No. 5.
After a handful of decent results, Everfast made a surprising dash to second place behind War of Will at the Preakness Stakes.
Everfast could jump out to the front of the pack from his middle post position and try to pose a threat to the three favorites.
One variable to keep in mind with the 10 horses in the field is Bourbon War, Intrepid Heart and Tacitus came from Tapit's bloodline.
In three of the last five years, a horse from Tapit's family tree has won the Belmont Stakes, with Tapwrit being the last one to reach the winner's circle in 2017.
If that trend is extended by Bourbon War or Intrepid Heart, it could land you a large payout since both have odds above 10-1.
But at the moment, War of Will is the best betting option. Even though his odds will not hand you massive payout, it is the smart decision to make based on his form and the lack of quality throughout the 10-horse field.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.