SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Six of the eight spots in the starting gate had been assigned for Saturday’s 157th Belmont Stakes and the name Journalism had not yet been called. The rail and the seven remained. It caused a little bit of anxiety for Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which co-owns Journalism, who didn’t want his horse and jockey Umberto Rispoli to start from the rail. Wellman exhaled when it was announced Journalism drew post 7. “It’s been a very dramatic Triple Crown season, they left one more piece of drama to be the final two pills that needed to be drawn - the one or the seven - and thankfully we came out on the right side of that draw,” Wellman said. “It will, hopefully, allow Umberto to keep things simple and not a lot of options from where he’s drawn.” Journalism, who finished second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and overcame significant bumping along the inside in upper stretch to win the Preakness, was installed as the 8-5 favorite by New York Racing Association linemaker David Aragona in the field of eight set to run 1 1/4 miles in the second straight Belmont to be conducted at Saratoga. :: DRF Belmont Stakes Packages: Save up to 52% on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Sovereignty, who skipped the Preakness, drew post 2 and was made the 2-1 second choice followed by Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Baeza (4-1, post 6) and Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez (post 3, 6-1). Hill Road, the Peter Pan winner, wound up in the rail post and was pegged at 10-1 by Aragona. Michael McCarthy, the trainer of Journalism, wasn’t as concerned as his owner about where Journalism started from.  “To be honest with you, we’ve done well inside of horses, it wasn’t something that really I was thinking about,” McCarthy said. “It would have been fine wherever he’d drawn. I think being drawn in the seven hole offers us a little bit of an opportunity to kind of peek inside and see what’s going on.” Journalism will be the only horse to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown. McCarthy has marveled how well Journalism has maintained his weight, energy, and condition throughout the year, which included a tough-trip win in the Santa Anita Derby in April and a victory in the San Felipe in March. “He’s been the same horse since July of last summer; does everything you ask a good horse to do - eat well, trains well, acts well,” McCarthy said. “His energy has been the same throughout.” Bill Mott, the trainer of Sovereignty, pretty much echoed McCarthy’s sentiments about not being concerned about where his horse drew and about being ecstatic with how well his horse is doing coming into Saturday. Sovereignty worked Sunday morning and was feeling so good on Monday that Mott sent him to the Oklahoma training track to jog once around. :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Betting Strategies by Mike Beer and David Aragona feature exclusive wager recommendations! “He’s feeling so good, I just didn’t want him to be overly fresh tomorrow,” Mott said. “He’s a strong horse. He can get a little tough. He was anxious to get to the track. Putting the bridle on him, he was raring to go.” Mott said he wasn’t surprised Sovereignty was made the second choice behind Journalism. “I kinda thought they’d make Journalism the favorite off his Preakness win,” Mott said. “It was an impressive win and he was a shorter price in the Derby than we were. I wouldn’t be convinced there’d be much difference in the two of them when they go to the gate.” Both Journalism and Sovereignty - as well as Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Baeza - should benefit from the late entry of Crudo, who won the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico in front-running fashion. He will break from post 5 under John Velazquez, two spots outside of Rodriguez, who is the other speed horse in the field. Crudo is trained by Todd Pletcher, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner who also sends out Uncaged, the sixth-place finisher in the Peter Pan Stakes, who drew post 4. Heart of Honor, the fifth-place finisher in the Preakness, drew post 8 and was installed at 30-1, the same price as Uncaged. :: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more The Belmont will go as race 13 (post time 7:04 p.m. Eastern) on a 14-race card that begins at 10:45 a.m. and includes seven other graded stakes. After dry conditions were forecast Monday through Thursday, there is now a 50 percent chance of showers on Saturday. Belmont Stakes Saturday, June 7; $2 million; 1 1/4 miles 1) Hill Road, Irad Ortiz Jr., 10-1   2) Sovereignty, Junior Alvarado, 2-1   3) Rodriguez, Mike Smith, 6-1   4) Uncaged, Luis Saez, 30-1   5) Crudo, John Velazquez, 15-1   6) Baeza, Flavien Prat, 4-1 7) Journalism, Umberto Rispoli, 8-5  8) Heart of Honor, Saffie Osborne, 30-1  Track odds; all starters carry 126 pounds :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.