Belmont Stakes Betting: Animal Kingdom The Clear Favorite To Win The Belmont

The 2011 Belmont Stakes betting race is right around the corner, and there will be a ton of familiar faces this weekend as several horses that competed in this year’s Kentucky Derby will take to the track at Belmont Park for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Derby winner Animal Kingdom will be the 2-1 favorite to win the race and become the 12th horse in history to complete the Derby/Belmont sweep, but in order to do so it will have to beat out the horse that spoiled its shot at the Triple Crown as Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford also runs in the field.

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Animal Kingdom 2-1

There is no denying that Animal Kingdom is the horse to beat for this weekend’s sports betting race, and regardless of how it runs it will be a bittersweet end. After all, even if trainer Graham Motion’s horse finishes first at the Belmont Stakes it will come up a half-length short of becoming the first horse in decades to complete the Triple Crown sweep.

A bad break out of the gate at Pimlico really hurt, but with the No. 9 post position and the opportunity to compete at a mile-and-a-half distance Animal Kingdom should be able to get the job done.

Nehro 4-1

While all eyes will be on the battle between Animal Kingdom and Shackleford, it could be Nehro that represents the biggest challenge in the way of the Kentucky Derby winner at Belmont Park. Trainer Steve Asmussen made the decision after such a close finish at Churchill Downs to rest Nehro and hope that the fresh legs will help it overcome a tired Animal Kingdom at the Belmont, and even if it comes up short it will be a major surprise if this horse doesn’t at the least show running out of the No. 6 position.

Next In Line

Shackleford 9-1

The Preakness winner emerged as one of the early sports betting bonus favorites before the post-positions were drawn because of its strong showings at both the Derby and at Pimlico, but after it was determined that Shackleford will run on the outside rail there aren’t many that think it has enough left in the tank to cover the distance. Despite a good break Shackleford barely held on at the Preakness, and there are reasonable concerns about whether or not it will show or tail off with an anticlimactic Triple Crown finish.

Dark Horse

Master Of Hounds 10-1

After watching how well it closed in its last pay per head race, some feel as though Master of Hounds will have a good shot to show ahead of Shackleford. Other horses such as Mucho Macho Man and Isn’t He Perfect simply haven’t gotten the job done despite having solid odds through the first two legs of the Triple Crown, and that trend will likely continue with Master of Hounds turning several heads with a strong finish to show at the Belmont Stakes.