The Triple Crown of 2013 has lost a bit of its luster after Orb didn't take the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, but the Belmont Stakes is still expected to be an exciting event and as the longest of the big three races, the horses could have a tough day after some hard rain in the New York City area over the weekend.
The 14-horse field for the 145th Belmont Stakes has a number of horses that could take the crown and Orb is the favorite once again at 3-1 odds after taking the Kentucky Derby previously and the 1.5 mile track is expected to be a challenge after all of the rain. Revolutionary is second on the opening favorites line, while Preakness champ Oxbow is third on the list in the lineup and Belmont Park will be ready for some action. The race will get ready around 6:20 PM and the track is 12 furlongs and the pure will net $1 million for the winner of the event.
Click here for the official coverage of the 2013 Belmont Stakes.
The television coverage starts up at 3 PM on NBC Sports, while the Belmont Stakes coverage will pick up at 5 PM on NBA and then the post race coverage will be from 7 to 7:30 PM on NBC Sports. Frac Daddy and Freedom Child are in the first two posts, while Overanalyze and Giant Finish are in the third and fourth positions. The favorite Orb is listed at fifth with Shug McGaughey training and Joel Rosario as the jockey. while Incognito is sixth and Oxbow is seventh. Midnight Taboo is in the eighth post, while Revolutionary and Will Take Charge is in ninth and tenth. Vyjack, Palace Malice, Unlimited Budget and Golden Soul are the final posts. The most wins at the Belmont have come from the number 1 post with 23 wins, while the second most are the third and fifth with 13 all-time.
The race will be running without the chance of a Triple Crown for the eighth time over the last nine years and Orb has the chance to pull off what was last done in 1995, when Thunder Gulch won both the Belmont and the Kentucky Derby without taking the Preakness. Rosie Napravnik will be looking to make history again, as will Gary Stevens after taking the Preakness. Stevens will be on Oxbow again at 5-1 odds after winning the last big race and Napravnik will be on unlimited budget at 8-1 odds. Frac Daddy has 30-1 odds coming out of the first post, while Freedom Child has 8-1 odds. Golden Soul has 10-1 odds from the 14th post and Oxbow is coming out of the seventh post. The track will be a muck but it could make for an exciting race on Saturday.
