Oxbow and Orb set for Belmont decider

Oxbow and Orb head a 14 strong field for Saturday's Belmont Stakes, the final leg of America's Triple Crown.

Orb won the Kentucky Derby but suffered a shock defeat in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, which was won by Oxbow and the pair are now set for the decider.

Heavy rain is forecast for the area leaving trainers anxiously looking at the heavens, including Shug McHaughey despite his Orb winning the Derby on a wet track.

"I hope it's not (raining) on Saturday, not just for my horse, but for everyone's sake," he told www.drf.com.

Even if it rains, Belmont Park has a sandy surface that can dry quickly and, according to McGaughey, Glen Kozak - the vice president of facilities and racing surfaces - "is some kind of trackman. He's done a fabulous job with these tracks," McGaughey added.

Orb drew post 5 and Oxbow 7, with Unlimited Budget, the lone filly in the race, drawing post 13, and Golden Soul, the Derby runner-up, landing the outside post 14. The last time the Belmont had as many as 14 starters was in 1996, when the first three finishers broke, in order, from posts 7 (Editor's Note), 13 (Skip Away), and 9 (the filly My Flag).

McGaughey said he wanted to get in the middle of the field and that he was fine with being in post 5. Orb drew the rail in the Preakness, and the inside seemed to be the worst part of the track that day.

"I'm a lot more satisfied than I was at Pimlico," McGaughey said.

Tom Albertrani was not enthralled with the post 2 draw for Freedom Child, who has speed but has had trouble getting away cleanly from the gate.

"I was hoping to get a little further toward the middle," Albertrani said. "I want to find a spot in the clear going into the first turn. It'll depend on how he leaves there."

Orb, Golden Soul, and Revolutionary were the first three across the line in the Derby, which was run on a sloppy, sealed track at Churchill Downs, so they have proven form on a wet track. Todd Pletcher, trainer of Revolutionary - and four others in the race - said his biggest concern with the track would be "if it's drying out, deep, and demanding."

"It will depend on the kind of track we get," Pletcher said when asked which of his horses would be helped or hindered by an off track. "The latest forecast I've seen is that the rain should be tapering off by Saturday, so hopefully they'll have time to get it tightened. Like everyone else, I'd prefer it's fast."