Belmont Stakes 2016 Horses: Entry List, Vegas Odds and Dark-Horse Favorites

It's hard to ignore that Saturday's Belmont Stakes lost some luster when Exaggerator defeated Nyquist at the Preakness Stakes, thereby ending the possibility of a repeat Triple Crown winner.Furthermore, the fact that Nyquist can't even race due to "a fever and elevated white blood cell count," according to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), is disappointing, given the rivalry between him and Exaggerator. Everybody was excited for the Triple Crown rubber match.Nonetheless, the Belmont still boasts an impressive field, highlighted by Exaggerator.Indeed, the Preakness winner is the horse to watch. While Nyquist came into the Preakness as the prohibitive favorite but still had the dangerous Exaggerator to deal with (and ultimately succumb to), there isn't a clear threat to Exaggerator at the Belmont."Exaggerator is the horse to beat," saidSuddenbreakingnews trainerDonnie Von Hemel, per Tim Wilkin of the Albany Times Union. "To be quite honest, he's the most likely winner."That seems to be the consensus, though Brody Cause and Cherry Wine trainerDale Romansisn't ready to concede the race just yet."Exaggerator is a very talented horse," he told Wilkin. "Nobody is going to tower over this field, because the mile-and-a-half is the question. There are very few horses that ever tower over the field in a Classic race. Last year was a year that maybe they did, but there's very few that do."There are other contenders in the field. Cherry Wine is a horse to watch after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, also besting Nyquist. AndSuddenbreakingnews is a dangerous contender, as he finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Arkansas Derby. He has three wins to his name.At the Belmontthe longest of the three Triple Crown racesthere are few actual dark horses. It's hardlyinconceivablethat any of the horses in the field could pull off the upset.Destin, for instance, has three wins and came in sixth at the Kentucky Derby. Lani also has three wins and showed improvement between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, finishing ninth at Churchill Downs but fifth at Pimlico.Brody's Cause has three wins and finished seventh at the Derby.Creator has two wins, though he had a disappointing showing at the Kentucky Derby with a 13th-place finish.Will any of these horses beat Exaggerator' It seems unlikely, but it's not out of the question. Exaggerator may not time his charge at the right moment. The horse could have a long day. The distance could prove to be too much from an endurance standpoint. Exaggerator didn't have quite enough in the tank to overcome Nyquist at the Derby, for example.In that case, yes, Suddenbreakingnews or Cherry Wine seems most likely to fill the void and steal the race. But if you aren't taking the favorite, siding with one of the deep sleepers in this field is hardly a reckless decision.The Belmont is often the wild card in the Triple Crown. Exaggerator should win, but it's not a foregone conclusion.You can follow TimothyRapponTwitter.
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