Belmont Stakes 2020 Post Positions: Final Projections, Odds Payout and Post Info

There have been many memorable moments take place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, the site of the annual Belmont Stakes, over the years. And a big reason for that is because it's the final event in horse racing's Triple Crown.

American Pharoah became the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown when he won the Belmont Stakes in 2015. Three years later, Justify also completed the feat with his Belmont victory.

This year's winner will be memorable for a different reason. The Belmont Stakes will be the first Triple Crown race held in 2020 after the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes were respectively postponed until Sept. 5 and Oct. 3 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

So while it's possible for a horse to win the Triple Crown this year, it will have to start with a triumph in the Belmont Stakes, which is taking place Saturday.

Heading into this year's Belmont Stakes, here's a look at the post lineup, odds and predictions for the top three finishers in the race.

Belmont Stakes Post Lineup and Odds

1. Tap It to Win: 6-1 (bet $100 to win $600)

2. Sole Volante: 9-2

3. Max Player: 15-1

4. Modernist: 15-1

5. Farmington Road: 15-1

6. Fore Left: 30-1

7. Jungle Runner: 50-1

8. Tiz the Law: 6-5

9. Dr Post: 5-1

10. Pneumatic: 8-1

Odds according to Vegas Insider.

Projections for Top 3

3rd: Tap It to Win

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Mark Casse has had recent success at the Belmont Stakes, as he was the trainer for Sir Winston, who won last year's race. This year, Casse's horse in the field is Tap It to Win, who will be starting in the No. 1 post and has the fourth-best odds to win the race.

Not only did Casse train Sir Winston, but he also trained War of Will, the winner of the 2019 Preakness. And Casse sees similarities between Tap It to Win and War of Will, noting that the former may even have one advantage over the latter.

"If you looked at War of Will and graded the way he moves on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, I would give War of Will maybe a nine and Tap It to Win maybe a nine or even a 9 ¼," Casse said, according to Brad Stephens of Horse Racing Nation. "Both horses are great moving horses and very fluid. You can watch them move and tell that there's something special about them."

Tap It to Win should give Casse another strong performance, as he'll likely finish close to the top two. However, he's going to come up short in a solid showing.

2nd: Tiz the Law

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The betting favorite to win this year's Belmont, Tiz the Law has the most impressive resume of the horses in this year's race.

Tiz the Law has won four of his five career races, including two this year—the Holy Bull Stakes in February and the Florida Derby in March. He has a chance of giving trainer Barclay Tagg his first Triple Crown win since 2003, when Funny Cide won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

"He's a nice horse," Tagg said of Tiz the Law, according to John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times. "Hopefully he's as good as we think. You work every day, seven days a week, and you just hope nothing happens and nothing goes wrong. But so far, so good. ... We're ready for the race."

There's a strong chance that Tiz the Law could notch the victory and help those who bet on the favorite cash in. But the prediction here is that he will come second, putting together a strong run but getting edged by another horse.

1st: Dr Post

There are two horses in this year's field trained by Todd Pletcher, who has three career victories at Belmont. His last win in the race came in 2017, when Tapwrit earned the victory. This year, Dr Post and Farmington Road will try to add another win for Pletcher.

Of the two, Dr Post is more likely pip Tiz the Law to the win. He won the Unbridled Stakes in April, although he faced some challenges during the race, including bumping into another horse on the backstretch. It was valuable experience, though, especially because Pletcher said he likely wouldn't have been ready for the Kentucky Derby on a normal schedule.

"For a lightly raced horse, we were happy that not only was he able to win, but he was able to overcome some adversity," Pletcher said, according to Stephens.

It won't be a huge upset considering Dr Post has the third-best odds to win, but it will still be a bit of a surprise when he edges Tiz the Law in what will likely be a close finish. The extra training time will end up helping Dr Post, who lives up to his potential despite his inexperience.