Belmont Stakes 2019 Post Positions: Slot Info, Predictions for Finishing Order
June 7, 2019
The conclusion to an unexpected saga of Triple Crown races in 2019 comes to an end Saturday at the Belmont Stakes.
Preakness Stakes champion War of Will and pre-race favorite Tacitus are the horses that stand out right away in the 10-horse field.
The other eight competitors are a mixture of horses who competed in either the Kentucky Derby or Preakness, or are making their debut in a Triple Crown race.
The first two Triple Crown races of the year produced storylines rarely witnessed in horse racing, with a disqualification coming through a video review and a horse racing down the track without a jockey.
Even if something out of the ordinary does not happen Saturday, we could be in for an exciting race to the finish line with two favorites and eight challengers vying for Belmont glory.
Belmont Stakes Post Positions and Odds
Slot Info
The inside post positions have been favorable to Belmont winners in recent years.
A year ago, Justify finished off the Triple Crown with a victory from post No. 1, while American Pharoah came out of post No. 5 in 2015 to win his Triple Crown.
In 2017, Tapwrit used the inside spot from post No. 2 to win, while Creator came from the most outside position in 2016, post No. 13, to win at Belmont Park.
If you go back a bit further, Palace Malice in 2013 and Tonalist in 2014 reached the winner's circle from outside post positions in a race that typically features around 10 horses.
The trend of winners from outside posts is good news for War of Will and Tacitus, who are next to each other on the outside in posts No. 9 and No. 10.
A second straight winner out of post No. 1 is unlikely since Joevia, the horse with the longest odds in the field, is slated to begin the race on the inside.
Finishing Order Prediction
1. War of Will
2. Tacitus
3. Tax
4. Everfast
5. Master Fencer
6. Sir Winston
7. Intrepid Heart
8. Joevia
9. Bourbon War
10. Spinoff
Tacitus and War of Will are the easy picks to finish at the front of the field Saturday.
The pair of horses are the two favorites to win the Belmont, and they have had some of the best Triple Crown finishes of the competitors in the 10-horse field.
War of Will is looking to achieve back-to-back wins after taking the Preakness three weeks ago, while Tacitus is attempting to add to this third-place mark at the Kentucky Derby.
The only other horse in the field with a top-three Triple Crown finish is Everfast, who finished directly behind War of Will at Pimlico.
Similar to Country House at the Kentucky Derby, Everfast was a long shot going into the Preakness, but he defied the odds to earn an impressive finish.
Everfast holds much lower odds going into the Belmont at 12-1, but he still comes at a good value compared to the favored horses.
Japanese-bred horse Master Fencer is a bit of an unknown since he has just competed in the Kentucky Derby on American soil.
However, that one race was a bit impressive, as he surged to the line to take sixth place in a crowded field.
Since there is a drop in quality competitors from the Kentucky Derby to the Belmont Stakes, there is a chance the horses of the highest quality, like War of Will, Tacitus and Master Fencer dominate.
Because we have seen unexpected finishers in the top three of the previous two Triple Crown races, we have to at least keep that in mind of happening again.
Joevia has the longest odds in the race, but it is more likely we see a horse like Tax, Bourbon War or Spinoff, who have odds just over 10-1 to pose a threat, if one comes from the long shots.
However, any focus on the underdogs could be swept away if War of Will and Tacitus control the race from the start.
If that is the case, the two favorites could be set for a head-to-head battle from the first stride out of the gate to the finish line.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.