Current Belmont Stakes Odds: Animal Kingdom Still Favored, Shackleford Slipping

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Animal Kingdom opened as a 2-1 favorite in the 2011 Belmont Stakes, but early betting has moved the line, if only slightly. With the Belmont set for Saturday afternoon, Animal Kingdom currently sits at 5-2, still far-and-away the favorite among the 12 horses entered. Nehro and Master of Hounds hold the second-best odds at 5-1, with Mucho Macho Man right behind at 6-1.

Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford has fallen back, and now sits at 16-1 odds. Starting on the outside, Shackleford has some work to do if he wants to run from the front and on the rail, and that, coupled with the distance of the race, seems to have bettors wary.

Here are the latest odds after the early betting in New York.

1. Master of Hounds, 5-1
2. Stay Thirsty, 12-1
3. Ruler On Ice, 42-1
4. Santiva, 8-1
5. Brilliant Speed, 9-1
6. Nehro, 5-1
7. Monzon, 55-1
8. Prime Cut, 18-1
9. Animal Kingdom, 5-2
10. Mucho Macho Man, 6-1
11. Isn’t He Perfect, 39-1
12. Shackleford, 16-1

Look back on our 2011 Preakness StoryStream to get up to speed To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Belmont fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.