Horse Racing Betting: Handicapping the Belmont Stakes

The final jewel of the Triple Crown will be awarded on Saturday afternoon when ten horses vie for the title at the Belmont Stakes! Check out BetUS Sportsbook’s list of horses you should keep an eye on for Saturday’s race!

#2 Dunkirk (4-1): Dunkirk went off as one of the favorites in the Derby, but finished a very disappointing 11th in the race. He skipped out on the Preakness, but is back and ready to try to salvage one leg of the Triple Crown. There’s a big question as to whether or not this horse is ready to compete at this level or not. Yes, he cruised to two wins and a place in three races prior to the Derby, but those races he won were against significantly lesser competition. He has already lost to Quality Road, who would’ve been the favorite had he run in the Derby, and was poor against the big boys in Churchill Downs.

#4 Summer Bird (12-1): Summer Bird didn’t have a poor showing at Churchill Downs, but was largely forgotten thanks to the heroics of Mine That Bird. He’s had a bunch of outside starting positions of late in his races, so a spot in the middle of the pack is going to be a welcome change for a horse that likes to stalk for awhile and then charge. There isn’t a doubt that he can run the full 1 ½ miles necessary to complete the race, which makes him a nice choice at 12-1. Consider his fantastic breeding as well, as his sire, Birdstone, edged out Smarty Jones in 2004 for the Belmont, stealing a chance at horse racing having a Triple Crown winner. His grandsire was Grindstone, an equally impressive horse with a Kentucky Derby victory to his credit.

#6 Charitable Man (3-1): Talk about a wild card for the race! Charitable Man is one of three horses in the field that didn’t run in either the Derby or the Preakness, and without a doubt, he is the biggest threat to the field. His most recent run was in the Peter Pan at Belmont, and he dominated the 1 1/8 mile race, winning by 3.75 lengths against a pretty good field. Had he run in the Derby, many tipsters feel as though Charitable Man would’ve been the favorite. He’s got the leading jockey in the state of New York from 2008 on board in Alan Garcia, who is most known for his stunning victory in last year’s Belmont aboard Da’Tara.

#7 Mine That Bird (2-1): How could we possibly leave off the morning-line favorite and the trendy choice for the race? If not for Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird would be a 1-5 favorite, and would be vying to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed pulled off the feat. Jockey Calvin Borel is chasing a bit of history of his own though, as he is trying to become the first jockey ever to win a personal Triple Crown above more than one horse. After his showings in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Oaks, there’s no reason to believe that Borel can’t pull this off.