Triple Crown Excitement!

This year's Belmont Stakes, on Saturday, June 7, will be an exciting race, as Funny Cide will attempt to win racing's Triple Crown. If Funny Cide wins, he will become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown. The last horse to sweep all three races (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes) was Affirmed in 1978. More than 100,000 fans are expected to see if Funny Cide can make his mark in history. Several horses will try to stop Funny Cide's winning streak, but it will be tough, as he is undefeated at Belmont Park. His main competition will be Empire Maker. This horse skipped the Preakness in order to be in peak shape for the Belmont Stakes. Other probable starters include Atswhatimtalkinbout, who finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby, and Dynever, who won the Lone Star Derby. The Belmont, at a mile and a half, is the true test of a horse's strength and endurance. There have been a total of 27 horses that have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, the most recent being War Emblem. If Funny Cide should win the Belmont, his owners, Sackatoga Stable, will make a $5 million bonus. The first race of the day will start at noon EDT, with the feature race scheduled at 6:04 p.m. EDT. Belmont Day also features some other great races, with more than $1.5 million up for grabs. ESPN will cover the event until 5 p.m. EDT, when NBC will take over.

For those racing fans looking to bet on the Belmont, here are a few handicapping tips and angles: 14 Belmont winners led all or most of the way, with six of them winning in wire-to-wire fashion. Eight winners stalked the early going and were no farther back than fourth or fifth at any point, while nine winners came from well off the pace to win. The winningest post position is No. 1, with 22 winners. Next are post positions No. 3 and No. 5, tied with 13 winners each, then posts No. 2 and No. 7, tied with 11 winners each. The track and stakes record at Belmont for one and a half miles is 2:24 flat, set in 1973 by Secretariat. The fastest in the last 10 years is 2:26 flat, by A.P. Indy in 1992, and the slowest is 2:32, by Thunder Gulch in 1995. Only two fillies have won, none since 1905. In 134 runnings, 54 favorites have won the Belmont; 30 of them were at odds lower than even money and 12 of them won the Belmont. And for those fans looking to bet on pretty colors, the breakdown of winners is 51 bay, 50 chestnut, 27 brown, three gray, and three black. It should be a thrilling event to watch, and place a wager on.