Belmont Stakes Expert Predictions and Betting Advice

2018 Belmont Stakes Expert Handicapping: Early Look at Field
by Trevor Whenham - 5/23/2018

It's early, and a lot will change over the next two and a half weeks, but we are starting to get a sense of the hurdles that Justify will have to clear to win a Triple Crown - at least in terms of the field of horses preparing to face him in the Belmont Stakes. It shapes up as a tougher field than the Preakness, but it's also not as one that will be impossible for Justify to beat.

Can Justify Win the Triple Crown? Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/23/2018

Now that the Preakness is over and we have a horse with a shot at a Triple Crown, we have to ask the question we have asked about so many colts in this same spot over the years - Can Justify win the Triple Crown? It's not an easy question, and we will only truly know for sure about two and a half minutes after post time on June 9, but let's tackle it as best we can. My short answer is yes, but we need to go deeper than that:

2017 Belmont Stakes Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/8/2017

The field is set for this edition of the Belmont Stakes, and it wasn't without setbacks. Classic Empire, who was set to be the strong and deserving favorite in the field, was scratched on Wednesday morning with an abscess in his foot - the same issue he has dealt with once already this year. That takes a race that already was fairly wide open it and has turned it into a true coin toss. There are 12 horses now entered, and at least half of them have a strong chance of being a factor here - perhaps more than that.

Betting the 2017 Belmont Stakes Undercard: Expert Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/8/2017

The 2017 edition of the Belmont Stakes will certainly not go down as the best in the history of that race. Not by a wide margin. The Derby and Preakness winners are both staying home, strong favorite Classic Empire has been scratched with an abscess, and now as I write this late on Wednesday night rumors have emerged that both Epicharis and Gormley have potential health issues that could impact their ability to shine as well. While this isn't likely to be a race that we tell our grandchildren about, we are still in for a serious treat on Saturday.

2017 Belmont Stakes Betting Advice and Handicapping: Live Long Shots
by Trevor Whenham - 6/6/2017

The defining characteristic of this edition of the Belmont Stakes is that it is completely and utterly wide open. There is no clear and obvious winner - though Classic Empire will be bet like one by many. That means that you can make a case for a lot of horses in the 13-horse field. This is a race that has delivered more long shot winners than favorites in recent years, so big payoffs are very possible here. Here are four Belmont live long shots you can make a case for (futures odds are from BetOnline) with analysis on how to get rich betting the Belmont Stakes:

Betting on the 2017 Belmont Stakes: Handicapping the Pace Scenario
by Trevor Whenham - 6/6/2017

Pace is an important aspect of handicapping any race - after all, it makes the race as the saying goes. In the Belmont, though, the pace is less of a concern than almost any other race. The race is so long that the early fractions aren't typically very aggressive, so you have to worry less about what the early leaders will be able to maintain and whether the closers will be able to make their move. Pace still matters, though. Frankly, the biggest concern is whether the horses will still be moving forward at the end of the marathon race. And a big contributing factor to that is that they are not forced to do something stupid early on that burns their candle too soon.

Hollywood Handsome Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/5/2017

Hollywood Handsome was ruled out of Belmont Stakes not too long after the Preakness, but with the defections of Irap and Conquest Mo Money from the prospective field trainer Dallas Stewart felt that there was an opportunity again. Combine that with how well he has been training, and it seemed worth a shot.

J Boys Echo Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/31/2017

Two races in a row I have had reasonably high hopes for this colt. And in both races he has done very little to justify my feelings. I gave him a mulligan after the first, but two mulligans in a row would just be cheating. So, while I am glad he is getting another shot, and I think he can definitely be better than he was in the Derby - because he couldn't be much worse - I refuse to direct any excitement at all on his direction this time around. But, what happens if he finally runs well again?

True Timber Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/31/2017

No matter how long I have watched racing, and how much of a fan I am, I can still be surprised by the decisions owners and trainers make when motivated by greed and the promise of glory. And so, as the news came out this past weekend that True Timber is being pointed for the Belmont I was again truly shocked. It really makes no sense at all. I obviously don't see the horse every day so perhaps I am missing something.

Multiplier Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/30/2017

Multiplier came into the Preakness as a lightly-raced horse who had shown flashes and hoped that his inexperience would be overcome by his talent. That wasn't the case. Now he's a slightly more experienced colt who needs to run a better race by far than he did in the Preakness - in a much tougher race - to be a factor in the Belmont. Does he have it in him? Sure. Will it happen? I wouldn't bet my house on it - or anything I really cared about, for that matter.

Free MLB Picks: Best Props Odds for Tuesday with Expert Betting Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 5/30/2017

Memorial Day has come and gone, and it's with great pleasure that I can introduce the unofficial start of summer with a day of unforgettable baseball moments. The day got off to a slow start, with New York and Baltimore combining for just five runs in a 3-2 O's win. However, the game in Minnesota between the Twins and visiting Houston Astros more then made up for the lack of runs. The Astros trailed 8-2 heading into the eighth inning before flipping the switch and belting out six singles, a double, a three-run home run, two walks, one hit batsmen and one balk, for a grand total of 11 runs.

Kentucky Derby Horses in the 2017 Belmont Stakes: Expert Handicapping
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

As we stand right now, just short of two weeks out from the Belmont Stakes, there are still 14 horses being pointed at the race. We aren't likely to have that many in the gate, but it's going to be a larger field - mainly because there is no one to scare anyone off in the group. As is often the case, a large portion of that field is made up of horses who we saw in the Kentucky Derby - eight of the 14 potential runners.

Horses That Can Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes: Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

This really is a bit of a silly name for this article, because if we have learned anything over the last two decades it's that any horse can win the Belmont Stakes. Horses like Sarava and Da'Tara have been total stunners that never would have found their way onto this list, and fully seven of the last 20 winners have paid 25/1 or better - compared to just three favorites over that time. Still, if we are ignoring that and just looking at the quality of this prospective field - there are now as many as 14 horses being pointed at the race - there are eight horses that stand out from the rest.

Classic Empire Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

Deciding how to view this colt presents a very interesting puzzle. On paper he's probably the most talented colt in the Belmont field. But will he be ready for a big race here? On one hand you could argue that the rough outing in the Derby and the tough loss in the Preakness could have taken a whole lot out of him and he won't have enough to give here. On the other side, though, you could argue that his spring was so odd and disrupted that he has only now managed to race himself back into shape and that his best race could be about to appear.

Belmont Stakes Expert Handicapping: Fresh Horses in 2017
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

One of the big challenges of handicapping the Belmont Stakes every year is the different amounts of rest that horses have. This year, Classic Empire and Lookin at Lee will be running their third race in five weeks - something horses just don't do anymore. Conquest Mo Money, Multiplier, and Senior Investment are bouncing back from the Preakness, so they are off three weeks of rest - less than is common now, too. Meantime has rested for a month, and the rest are coming off at least five week's rest. Epicharis goes to the other extreme of potentially having too much rest - he last ran on March 25.

Irish War Cry Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

I can tell you who my top pick was in the Derby most years since I started paying attention to the race three and a half decades ago. This year it was Irish War Cry, who was added to that list. And like too many who came before him, he disappointed. He has an interesting distinction, though -- he is the only top pick to date that was sired by another of my top picks -- Curlin. That great horse also disappointed in the Derby but redeemed himself in the Preakness.

Epicharis Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

This horse presents a real challenge for handicappers. He's following in the shadow of a very short list of Japanese-based horses to come here for the Triple Crown - Lani last year was a pioneer. And the races he have run in, while impressive, are hard to really compare to other races and draw meaning from. And he hasn't run since the end of March, so we have a long layoff to contend with. And his trainer has never run in North America before. And his breeding, though familiar in terms of a racing past, is largely unproven over here as a bloodline.

Lookin at Lee Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

I have a love/hate relationship with this horse. Since before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile I've liked and backed the horse, and too often he has cost me money. So I finally learned my lesson and backed off him for the Derby, so he completed the exacta at a huge price to key big payoffs. So, there are two questions here, then - has he earned back my trust, and if he has can he justify that trust? I respect the rare iron horses that run all three Triple Crown races these days - this colt and Classic Empire are the only two this year - so that's a definite mark in his favor. But can he do enough to be a factor here?

Tapwrit Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

Todd Pletcher has officially announced that he won't be at the Belmont with Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, and that is the right move after a very weak performance in the Preakness. He's not giving up on the opportunity to grab another Triple Crown race, though - his third Belmont if he is successful. And in this colt he has a horse that was seen as one of the stars of this class earlier in the spring and then has looked pretty darned ordinary since. So, can Tapwrit recapture that lost magic and have a big day here?

Gormley Odds to Win the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2017

We've seen so many dominant horses from California in recent years that it seems odd that the Santa Anita Derby winner was seen as not much more than an afterthought in the Derby. Unfortunately, he got about as much money as he deserved. This horse can win big races, but he is also really short on consistency, and obviously I'm not the only one who isn't convinced that he belongs alongside the best of this three year old class. I'm glad, though, that he'll have another chance to show us what he has, because I really want to like Gormley.