2011 Belmont Stakes Odds: 5 Bold Predictions After Post Position Release
The 2011 Belmont Stakes are only a couple days away, and while there will not be a Triple Crown winner to look for, there are many other storylines to look forward to.
After failing down the stretch in the Kentucky Derby, Shackleford rallied to win the Preakness. Conversely, Animal Kingdom had no trouble winning the Derby, but he was unable to make up enough ground to win the Preakness.
Now that the post positions have been released, and now that the race is almost here, the field can be closely inspected, and those who know what to look for will be able to see which horses may have the advantage going forward.
Here are five bold predictions for this year's Belmont Stakes.
Shackleford Will Struggle to Move into the Lead
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Shackleford's advantage, as we have seen in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, is that is gets out to a quick lead. His problem has always been stamina rather than getting in position.
That being said, he drew the outside track at the Belmont Stakes, so it is going to be much harder for him to make it to the front of the pack. If he cannot do it early, I don't know if he can at all.
The Usual Names Will Remain in the Front
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In a year where the field is rather wide open, one would not expect the same horses to be popping up in the top spots, yet that is what we have been seeing so far, and that's what will happen again at the Belmont.
Animal Kingdom, Nehro, Mucho Macho Man, and other names that the casual fan is familiar with will continue to challenge for the win, and like the other races, this is not one where I see a dark horse popping out of the woodwork.
Animal Kingdom Will Do Exactly What Animal Kingdom Does
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In the Belmont Stakes, Animal Kingdom will behave in the same way he always does. What do I mean by that? His gameplan for the Belmont is the same that it was in the first two races.
Animal Kingdom will start near the back, waiting for the first couple turns to pass as he moves to the middle. When it hits the final straightaway, he will make his move, and he will try and make it two out of three wins.
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Nehro Will End Up Being Underwhelming
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In each race, a favorite has to disappoint. Dialed In did so at the Kentucky Derby, and Mucho Macho Man did not do much at the Preakness. At the Belmont, it will be Nehro's turn.
Nehro was my original dark horse pick for the Preakness before he withdrew, so I hold the horse in high regard. While the time off may help prevent exhaustion, in his case I have a feeling he may be a bit rusty heading into this race, and he'll end up having a disappointing performance.
Animal Kingdom Will Win
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There are 12 horses in this race, making it smaller than the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. With less horses to maneuver around, this gives the advantage to those with pure speed, as well as those with the knowledge to move around on the track right.
When it comes to those two points, Animal Kingdom is the best horse in the race. He'll know not to fall as far behind as he did in the Preakness, so in the end, it really is his race to lose.
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