The Belmont Stakes was dealt a huge blow as I’ll Have Another, the favorite to win and take the Triple Crown for the first time since 1978, was scratched from the race. I’ll Have Another was scratched due to tendonitis in his left foreleg. This prompted his trainers to pull him from this weekend’s event, leaving the field wide open.
The Belmont Stakes betting will have a field of only eleven horses now that the favorite has been pulled. This 1.5-mile or twelve furlong race on the dirt track of the Belmont Park racetrack outside New York will still have a million dollar purse with the winner taking in $600,000.
The race will be taking place at approximately six in the evening.
There will still be plenty of contenders for this year’s race even if I’ll Have Another will not be in. Dullahan, who will be at the 5 post, has become the new favorite with 9-5 odds. Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Javier Castellano, Dullahan last competed in the Kentucky Derby where he finished in third. He also won the Blue Grass and Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity races.
Union Rags is also expected to be a competitor at the 3 post. He is trained by Michael Matz and has John Velazquez as his jockey. Union Rags was the favorite at the Kentucky Derby last month. He has won four of his seven races in his career including the Fountain of Youth and Saratoga Special races. His odds are currently at 7-2.
Bob Baffert will have a horse in the race as always. Paynter, who will be jockeyed by Mike Smith, has 8-1 odds at the 9 post. He won the Allowance race at Pimlico on May 19.
Street Life will be on the 1 post. Trained by Chad Brown and jockeyed by Jose Lezcano, Street Life has 8-1 odds. He last ran at Belmont betting on May 12 when he finished third in the Peter Pan Stakes. He is a descendant of Unbridled, the 1990 Kentucky Derby winner.
The 7 and 8 horses, Five Sixteen and Guyana Star Dweej, both have the worst odds. Their morning line odds were at 30-1.