Belmont Stakes Betting Odds and Preview
by Bodog Racebook | May 30 2011
Called the "Test of the Champion"for its grueling 1 ½ mile distance and for its stature as the last and final Triple Crown race, the 2011 edition of the Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 11, at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. A Grade 1 race offering a purse of $1M, the Belmont Stakes will feature frontrunners Animal Kingdom, Shackleford and Nehro.
Even though his chance to become the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown was spoiled, Animal Kingdom remains one of the top contenders to win the Belmont Stakes. Versatile enough to take his turf/synthetic career into the dirt-run Triple Crown series and come out with a win and a runner-up finish, this son of Leroidesanimaux also showed he had a tremendous finishing kick. Whether he has enough stamina to tackle yet another set of newcomers and the 1 ½ mile distance is the biggest question surrounding Graham Motion's trainee, but he has come out of the Preakness Stakes well and is peaking at the right time for another huge performance. Thunder Gulch in 1995 was the last horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes but miss in the Preakness Stakes – will Animal Kingdom join him in the history books?
Point Given (2001) and Afleet Alex (2005) were the last horses to miss in the Kentucky Derby but win the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Does Shackleford have what it takes to join them? Shackleford, a son of Forestry, has been defying odds all season. With his sole win of 2011 a mere allowance race victory, the Dale Romans-trained Shackleford was not considered a frontrunner for the Kentucky Derby. But his impressive run and fourth-place showing led to his breakthrough victory in the Preakness Stakes just two weeks later. However, distance has always been the primary consideration in the Belmont – and with a pedigree more suited to sprinting, Shackleford may be out of his depth.
After skipping the Preakness Stakes in order to prepare for the Belmont Stakes, Nehro should be well-rested and ready. After turning in a huge closing bid only to give way in the late stages of the Kentucky Derby, Nehro was sidelined by his connections while the second jewel of the Triple Crown was run. Trained by Steven Asmussen, Nehro also ran second in the Gr. 1 Arkansas Derby on April 16 and the Gr. 2 Louisiana Derby March 26. His sire, Mineshaft, was a late bloomer but was a multiple graded stakes winner at classic distances; the 1 ½ mile distance will be a challenge for any horse but Nehro should weather it better than most.
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