The Belmont Stakes will not have a Triple Crown on the line but Belmont Stakes betting will be still be interesting as horses go a mile and a half for the first time in their careers. Belmont Stakes odds favor Ice Box but with a mile an a half distance, anything is possible.
Belmont Stakes betting will not include Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver or Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky. There are expected to be 11 horses though that will go to the post on Saturday. The Belmont is a grueling race and many trainers don’t like to run their horses at this distance. Horses that win the Belmont usually don’t win their next race. In fact, in the last decade, only three times has a horse won the Belmont and then won his next race. Point Given did it in 2001, Birdstone in 2004 and Summer Bird last year.
Belmont Stakes odds on Saturday will be the fourth time in the past 50 years and the third time since 2000 that neither the Derby winner nor the Preakness winner will be in the race. Two years ago there was a Triple Crown on the line but Big Brown was a flop in the Belmont. Four years ago it was Jazil winning in Belmont Stakes odds in a race that did not include the Derby winner Barbaro or the Preakness winner Bernardini.
There are a lot of unknown horses in this year’s Belmont Stakes betting field. One of them might actually make their mark although it seems more likely that Ice Box, First Dude or Fly Down will win. That doesn’t mean that horses like Game On Dude, Make Music for Me, Spangled Star and Drosselmeyer won’t get some action on the wagering board. The Belmont is a tough race and history has shown that anything can happen.
When you consider the distance of a mile and a half in the Belmont Stakes you don’t have much to go on. The horses in the field have never run this far and they will likely never run this far again. It is all a guess as to whether a horse can make the distance. Pedigree is a factor but it is still a guess as to how a horse will handle the mile and a half.