2011 Belmont Stakes Horse Betting Preview

Las Vegas, NV -- The biggest race in New York takes place on Saturday with the 143rd running of the Belmont Stakes. Even though no Triple Crown will be on the line, there is some excitement for this year's race with Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness winner Shackleford both in the race. A field of 12 will be going a mile and a half with post time at approximately 6:35 pm Eastern.

The Belmont Stakes has been a difficult race to predict throughout the years as favorites have flopped.

Animal Kingdom is the 2-1 favorite in horse betting starting from post position nine with Nehro starting from post number six as the second choice at 4-1. Shackleford is listed as the third choice at 9-2 on the morning line but he will start from the outside in post number 12 and that could be a problem since no horse has ever won the Belmont from post number 12. All of the other horses in the field have double-digit odds. The Belmont Stakes has been a difficult race to predict throughout the years as favorites have flopped. The last favorite to win was Afleet Alex in 2005. In the last 21 editions of the Belmont, the favorite has won just four times. This is only the 22nd time in history that the Kentucky Derby winner and the Preakness winner will meet in the Belmont.

Animal Kingdom is the horse to beat but in the Belmont Stakes that really doesn't mean much. Last year Drosselmeyer won at odds of 12-1. Summer Bird won at similar odds two years ago and in 2008 it was Da' Tara shocking everyone at odds of 38-1. In 2004 it was Birdstone winning at odds of 36-1 and in 2002 it was Sarava winning as the biggest longshot winner in Belmont Stakes history at off track betting odds of just over 70-1

The Belmont is a race that can't be handicapped by traditional methods because pedigree is everything. If a horse can't handle the mile and a half distance then nothing else matters. Even though Nehro and Shackleford are the second and third choices in off-track betting, neither has a great pedigree when it comes to going long distances. Some longshot horses do though, including Todd Pletcher's Stay Thirsty who is 20-1 and Monzon who is 30-1.

Here is the full field for Saturday's Belmont Stakes: