Belmont Stakes 2011 Odds: Animal Kingdom, Nehro Favored In Early Betting Lines

Read More: 2011 belmont stakes, belmont stakes 2011, belmont stakes odds, belmont stakes odds 2011, current belmont stakes odds, belmont horse racing, belmont park, belmont race track, belmont stakes entries, belmont park race track, triple crown, belmont stakes horses, belmont contenders, animal kingdom odds, shackleford odds

Animal Kingdom came up just short in the 2011 Preakness Stakes, falling to Shackleford by about a half a length, but at the lengthy Belmont Stakes, the oddsmakers are back on the Kentucky Derby winner. In the early betting lines, which come before Wednesday's post position draw, Animal Kingdom holds a slight edge over the field, with Nehro a close second. Preakness winner Shackleford has the third-best odds, but is well behind the two favorites at 5-1.

The Belmont field features plenty of familiar names as horses that have made appearances on the Triple Crown trail get back on the track this weekend. Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Master of Hounds and others join the three favorites as they look to knock off Animal Kingdom and Shackleford in the third leg of the Triple Crown series. Though American horse racing's biggest prize isn't up for grab, a loaded field of three-year-olds is set to run at the Belmont.

Here are the latest odds for the 2011 Belmont Stakes.

Animal Kingdom: 5/2
Brilliant Speed: 14/1
Isn't He Perfect: 40/1
Master of Hounds: 7/1
Monzon: 30/1
Mucho Macho Man: 8/1
Nehro: 7/2
Prime Cut: 20/1
Ruler On Ice: 30/1
Santiva: 14/1
Shackleford: 5/1
Stay Thirsty: 20/1

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.