A Triple Crown might not be in play at the 2016 Belmont Stakes, but that shouldn't take the shine off the 148th running of the race. Being able to lay claim to one of the jewels of the crown -- along with the largest portion of a $1.5 million purse -- will go a long way toward securing the legacy of the winner.
Belmont Stakes 2016: Post time, TV schedule, contenders and more
A wide-open field should make the Belmont a great race to watch. Tune in to NBC beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
The Belmont Stakes will go to the post at approximately 6:37 p.m. ET on Saturday. NBC will televise the event beginning at 5 p.m., and provide streaming coverage at NBC Sports Live Extra. You can watch coverage of the undercard on NBCSN beginning at 3 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra will steam that, as well.
Exaggerator, winner of the Preakness three weeks ago, enters the day the morning line favorite at 9-5 odds, as set by New York Racing Association oddsmaker Eric Donovon. That doesn't necessarily make him an overwhelming favorite to win, however. It's reflective of what oddsmakers expect the betting public to do as much as anything.
After Nyquist's trainer, Doug O'Neill, made the decision not to race the Kentucky Derby winner at Belmont when the colt came down with a fever and showed a high white blood cell count following the Preakness, Exaggerator became the favorite almost by default.
Not that he’s undeserving. The horse trained by Keith Desormeaux and ridden by his brother, Hall of Fame jockey Kent, has shown throughout his career he’s strongest at the end of a race. Up until this point, the farthest distance he’s run in an event is the 1-1/4-mile Kentucky Derby in early May. In that, he made a late charge against Nyquist but ran out of distance. Now the question is, can he carry that out over the 1-1/2 miles of the Belmont? Further: If he does, is there any horse in the field capable of hanging with him?
Exaggerator’s father, Curlin, finished a close second in the Belmont Stakes himself in 2007. His half-brother, Palice Malice, won the race in 2013. Desormeaux is well-experienced and has a Belmont win himself upon Summer Bird in 2009.
Interestingly, Lani, who starts one position to the inside of Exaggerator, could provide some of the strongest competition. The Japanese-trained horse ran in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and posted a much better showing in the latter race. He’s the only other horse to compete in all three Triple Crown races.
As Horse Racing Nation notes, Lani “has the pedigree to run all day. We know the qualifications of his sire [Tapit].”
In short: Tapid’s progeny have proven to be great racers. Most recently, Tonalist won the Belmont Stakes in 2014. That doesn’t help Lani much in the odds, however, and he has 20-1 morning line odds.
“Going strictly by pedigree, Brody’s Cause, Creator, Lani, Trojan Nation, and Suddenbreakingnews have the best chance to navigate 1½ miles,” HRN concludes.
The final piece of the puzzle to note is weather. Like at the Preakness, the forecasts indicate there could be wet and sloppy conditions in New York. Cherry Wine ran well and finished as runner-up to Exaggerator at Pimlico, but he doesn’t quite have the pedigree of a mile-and-a-half colt.
So while we may have been denied the drama of a Triple Crown attempt, or even of a rematch between Nyquist and Exaggerator, there’s still plenty of uncertainty as a pretty open field of contenders makes a run for the carnations. This is a race worth tuning in to.
148th Belmont Stakes
Post time: 6:37 p.m. ET
TV: NBC, with coverage beginning at 5 p.m.
Undercard coverage: NBCSN beginning at 3 p.m.
Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra
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