The morning line odds and post positions for the 2018 Belmont Stakes are set. Justify will open as a 4/5 favourite on Saturday and will be starting in the race in the #1 post position, as he tries to become the 13th horse to win the American Triple Crown.
Hofburg is the horse many people are touting as the one to take down Justify in this race, stating that the longer distance should help the horse who finished 7th at the Kentucky Derby. Bravazo, Vino Rosso and Tenfold are the other horses who the oddsmakers see as legitimate threats to Justify’s Triple Crown bid.
I’ve provided the morning line odds for the race below and I will also give you my two favourite to-win bets for this years Belmont Stakes. My picks may not be who you would expect.
2018 Belmont Stakes Morning Line Odds
The morning line odds for the race are listed below. With Audible and Good Magic both bowing out of the race in the past few weeks, Justify seems to have a great chance at winning the race at odds of 4/5.
These are the odds that the horses will open at on Saturday morning. These odds are just estimates, and the true odds will change throughout the day depending on the amount of money bet on each horse. All of the bets go into a betting pool for the race and the final odds are determined by the percentage of the bets that are placed on each horse. Check out our parimutuel betting page to learn more about this horse race betting odds system.
- Justify 4/5
- Hofburg 9/2
- Bravazo 8/1
- Vino Rosso 8/1
- Gronkowski 12/1
- Tenfold 12/1
- Blended Citizen 15/1
- Free Drop Billy 30/1
- Noble Indy 30/1
- Restoring Hope 30/1
Justify is the rightful favourite, but I do think there is some value in a couple of these other horses to pull off the upset and spoil the party.
My Belmont Stakes Picks
I’m not recommending fading Justify, but I won’t be using him as one of my two bets on this years Belmont Stakes. American Pharaoh, who completed the Triple Crown in 2015, was the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. In that span there were 13 other horses who won both the Derby and the Preakness, but failed to win the Belmont.
The additional length of the race and short turn around time between the Derby, Preakness and Belmont, makes the Belmont Stakes very hard to win for potential Triple Crown winners. This is one reason why it’s called “the test of a champion”.
Both the Derby and Preakness were also run on very wet tracks this year, so we don’t really know how much better Justify is that the other horses on a dry track. The early weather reports indicate that this years Belmont Stakes could also be run on a muddy track, but the weather conditions are still largely up in the air.
Tenfold 12/1
My favourite bet is Tenfold at 12/1. I’ve been very impressed with this horse in his limited showings this year. I bet him each-way on the Preakness and was lucky enough that he held on to third place to payout the each-way portion of that bet.
Tenfold actually caught Good Magic down the stretch in that race, and managed to stay ahead of Lone Sailor who was also making a push down the stretch. He likely didn’t even notice Bravazo bolt by him at the line to push him into third. I think this horse had more in the tank and if they were to run another 2.5 furlongs he very well could have caught Justify.
I liked Tenfold in the Arkansas Derby as well back in April. He finished 5th in that race, but he was in the group battling for second behind Magnum Moon and he looked like he still had gas in the tank in that race as well, which was a 10 furlong battle.
Vino Rosso 8/1
The other horse I’m looking at is Vino Rosso at 8/1. This horse was highly touted coming into the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 9th. He’s been resting for the past month and should be ready to compete at his very best here at the Belmont.
Vino Rosso is trained by Todd Pletcher, who no doubt wants to win this race and prevent rival Bob Baffert from winning the Triple Crown. Pletcher is also the trainer for Audible, who was expected to be the main competitor to Justify in this race, but Audible was withdrawn from the race, likely because he is owned by the same group of stables as Justify. Pletcher will have put all of his effort into making sure that Vino Rosso is at his best coming into this race.
**Both Tenfold and Vino Rosso were sired by Curlin who finished second at the Belmont Stakes in 2007. I will be betting these two in exacta’s as well.
Where To Bet On The 2018 Belmont Stakes
I will be placing my Belmont Stakes wagers at SportsInteraction.com. They are our top rated betting site for Canadian bettors and they have a racebook that is very easy to use and navigate. You can check out our how to bet on the 2018 Belmont Stakes guide if you have any more questions about getting your bets placed on the race.
If you’re new to betting on horses, I’d also suggest you check out our horse race betting info section. I break down the various bets you can make (straight, exacta, trifecta, etc) and explain the other things you should know when betting on the ponies.
Ready to bet on the Belmont Stakes? Click here to visit SportsInteraction.com
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