Belmont Stakes Betting Preview
Sixteen million ecstatic horse-racing fans leapt to their feet in disbelief when 80:1 long-shot Rich Strike, rallied in the final metres of the Kentucky Derby to snatch the win from favourites Zandon and Epicentre by less than a single length on May 7th. The same crowd exploded with praise when Early Voting held off the again hard-charging Epicentre to secure the Preakness Stakes on May 21st.
Now, with the first two jewels of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing complete, June 11th will be the final say in which horse reigns supreme – as well as a date for savvy betters to secure a sizeable payday.
For those unaware, the Triple Crown is a yearly race of three-year-old thoroughbreds consisting of three parts: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.
The Belmont Stakes is the oldest and longest-running race of the three, and this year, the thoroughbreds will compete on June 11th at Belmont Park in New York City around a 1½ mile-track – the longest and most taxing of the Triple Crown races.
While it’s thrilling enough to watch the “Test of the Champion” unfold on its own, Belmont Stakes betting at Bodog makes the event all the more exciting by adding the potential of major paydays to the stakes.
With the most up to date and competitive horse racing odds in the books, Bodog is taking a look at the favourites in the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes.
Belmont Stakes Betting: The Favourites
As anyone following the sport knows, this race could belong to anyone, but a few thoroughbreds stand out this year with the best horse racing odds for Belmont Stakes betting.
Mo Donegal (+250)
Todd Pletcher’s horse has been gaining plenty of attention since the start of the year, and odds of +250 place Mo Donegal as the top favourite in Belmont Stakes betting.
In April, Mo Donegal defeated Early Voting by a neck in a tight race at the Wood Memorial Stakes, placing him #4 on the leaderboard for the Road to the Kentucky Derby, where he finished in a respectable fifth place.
As far as the impending Belmont Stakes go, Pletcher has won the third jewel three times, with the last in 2017.
Leading up to the race, Mo Donegal has the benefit of training on the track at Belmont Park since skipping out on the Preakness Stakes, giving this bay colt an edge over his opponents.
With a seasoned trainer like Pletcher, experience on the Belmont track, and a year of decent performance, it’s looking likely we’ll see Mo Donegal at the front of the pack on June 11th.
We the People (+300)
We the People was on a roll after he won a Maiden race on February 12th, continuing a month later at an allowance race when he led by five lengths at Oakland Park.
Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, We the People was pegged to be one of the top WinStar horses at the start of the year, thanks to those victories. But less than a month later on April 2, the once-proud champion fell far behind to seventh in the Arkansas Derby, bringing into question his ability to secure a first-place finish.
Fortunately for Brisset, the thoroughbred quashed these concerns when he bounded into the Peter Pan Stakes for a lopsided 10¼ -length victory soon after on May 14th.
Now, We the People is back in the running as a top contender for the “Test of the Champion”, and Belmont Stakes betting odds of +300 say he might put the dark day of the Arkansas Derby behind him and gift us a repeat of his other three wins this year.
Rich Strike (+450)
In an event that made betting on horse racing more thrilling than it has been since the biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history back in 1913, jockey Sonny Leon navigated the traffic of heaving and steaming thoroughbreds to steer Rich Strike into a stunning victory at the last second, closing the books with odds of +8000.
After such an unexpected victory, the biggest challenge Rich Strike faces at the Belmont Stakes will be proving his performance wasn’t merely a fluke. After the Kentucky Derby win, Rich Strike skipped the Preakness Stakes, which could mean he’ll be sufficiently well rested to pull another upset at Belmont Park.
That is if he were actually running with steep odds to begin with.
Rich Strike is currently the second favourite on the books, and trainer Eric Reed is putting him through the paces at Churchill Downs until the end of May, preparing to show the world if his entrant has what it takes to prove his +450 odds and strike it rich for punters across the world.
Creative Minister (+650)
Stakes races are new to Creative Minister, as the grey roan colt hadn’t even competed in one until the Preakness Stakes this year, finishing third behind Early Voting and Epicentre.
Before that, trainer Kenny McPeek’s horse had an allowance win at Churchill Downs on the derby undercard.
He may have been a new shooter on May 21st, but on June 11th, Creative Minister will enter the race as an experienced runner, and +650 horse racing odds say that beginner’s luck just might extend to the finish line.
Nest (+650)
This bay filly has a strong track record of first-place wins, and the Kentucky Oaks on May 6th was the only stakes race she’s entered where she didn’t finish first.
Nest also won her first maiden race and finished in the top four for all six of her career starts. Horse racing odds of +650 might imply that the Todd Fletcher-trained thoroughbred doesn’t stand much of a chance, but if there’s anything we learned from this year’s Kentucky Derby, it’s that a good trainer and an experienced jockey can do wonders with a strong horse. As such, Nest might just have what it takes to close into the Belmont Stakes winner’s circle.
June 11th will run up on your calendar faster than you think, so now is the time to lock in your Belmont Stakes betting odds at Bodog. The horses are preparing, and punters are waiting at the starting gate. The gun’s about to go off, and you’ll want to be the one who selected the winner.