No matter what happens this Saturday, the 2018 Belmont Stakes will be historic. It’s the 150th running of the Belmont, the final race on the Triple Crown trail – and easily the longest at 1 ½ miles. But it will be even more historic if Justify pulls off the victory. He’s already taken down the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes; with one more win at the Belmont, Justify will become only the 13th Triple Crown champion in North American Thoroughbred racing.
 

Belmont Stakes Betting Odds Point at Triple Crown

His chances look a little better every day. Justify’s odds to win the Belmont Stakes improved from even money to 4-5 before Tuesday’s post position draw, and his Belmont Stakes betting odds could get even shorter after he was assigned post No. 1. Drawing the inside rail is usually a bad thing, but the Belmont is a special race, and the 1-hole has produced a record 23 champions, far ahead of post No. 3 at 15 winners.

If that weren’t enough, Justify might end up running in sloppy conditions for the third time in three Triple Crown races. Saturday’s weather forecast for Belmont Park has an increasing chance of rain as we get closer to post time (6:37 PM ET, NBC). We already know Justify can win in the mud, although he had to dig deep to hold off the field at the Preakness. Can anyone stop Justify from handing trainer Bob Baffert his second Triple Crown in four years?
 

Belmont Stakes 2018 Contenders

Out of Justify’s nine Belmont Stakes 2018 contenders, there’s one horse in particular that Justify and his handlers have to worry about. Hofburg is the second favorite (9-2 2018 Belmont Stakes odds) at press time, holding steady since the Morning Line went up on Tuesday, and he’s fresh for the Belmont Stakes after skipping the Preakness. Trained by Bill Mott, who won the 2010 Belmont with Drosselmeyer, Hofburg has all the earmarks of a Triple Crown spoiler. His sire, Tapit, has given us three of the last four Belmont winners: Tonalist (2014), Creator (2016) and Tapwrit (2017). Tonalist wound up denying the great California Chrome his shot at Triple Crown glory.

Unfortunately for Hofburg, while his bloodline performed well in the mud, he doesn’t have the same body of work, finishing seventh at the Kentucky Derby. And he drew post No. 4 for the Belmont, which has produced just 10 winners. In response, some bettors have turned their attention to Tenfold, who has improved from 12-1 on the Morning Line to 8-1 at press time. Tenfold also has an impressive bloodline with sire Curlin and grandsire Tapit, he finished a close third behind Justify at the Preakness, and he’ll break from the 7-hole, which has produced 13 Belmont champions – including Drosselmeyer.

Other top contenders in the 10-horse Belmont Stakes field include Bravazo (8-1), Vino Rosso (8-1) and Blended Citizen (15-1). Stay tuned to Bovada Racebook for fresh odds and analysis for Saturday’s big race.

 

*Odds as of June 7, 2018