2011 Belmont betting players will be starting their research for the third and final jewel in thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown, but most of the pre-Belmont attention will be on a battle between the first two Triple Crown winners, Animal Kingdom and Shackleford. The two horses are among the favorites to win the Belmont Stakes in three weeks, and it’ll be an interesting matchup of styles.

Animal Kingdom is more of a second-half horse as he proved in late runs at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and in Baltimore he likely would have beaten Shackleford if the race was even a half-furlong longer. That is why he is the favorite at the Belmont Stakes, which is the longest Triple Crown race at 1.5 miles. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint, and that bodes well for his chances.

Shackleford loves to jump out of the gate, and we saw before the Preakness that he has a lot of nervous energy as he was a handful to load into the starting gate. But when he gets out of the gate, Shackleford shoots out as he set the pace at the Kentucky Derby before fading to fourth, and he made his fast start count at the Preakness but not before Animal Kingdom made it interesting.

Two different horses, two different ways to win, who gets the edge? It would have to be Animal Kingdom as the key to winning the Belmont is stamina, and he gets a second win halfway through the race. Still, take a good, long look at Shackleford before making your sports betting online picks.