in Triple Crown Betting Trends

Todd Pletcher saddled Monba in the 2008 Bluegrass Stakes, was considered a real contender in the Derby. After all, Monba had won a Grade I, looked to be peaking at the right time, and was definitely a horse that could move forward in the Derby. Monba, of course, didn’t.

But that didn’t worry Todd Pletcher because he had a horse named Ready’s Echo that he was getting ready for the 2008 Belmont Stakes.

Although a lot of online horseplayers expected the Todd Pletcher trained Harlem Rocker, to show up for the Belmont, it is Ready’s Echo that Todd Pletcher will saddle in the quest to derail Big Brown.

Ready’s Echo, on paper, might be just good enough to do it. Beyer Speed Figures aside, Ready’s Echo appears to have the perfect form and back-class to pull a decided upset.

He’s a son of More Than Ready who is turning into one of the better stallions in the United States. He comes out of the Kingmambo mare, Minekineko. Those are definite pluses for a horse trying to get 1 ½ miles.

He’s lightly raced having run only four times before. In those four races, his pattern is a classic one - - he broke his maiden in his second lifetime start, lost by a neck in an allowance race, and then finished third in a Grade II.

Todd Pletcher appears to have this horse ready to give is best on June 7th when Triple Crown winner in thirty years.

What, exactly, are his chances? I’ve heard some of my fellow online horseplayers say that Ready’s Echo has no chance because he’s only a maiden winner. The fact that he’s only won a maiden race, but has run very well in his next two races, tells me that the lack of graded winnings isn’t all that much of a concern.

Why should it be? The idea with betting on a horse to upset a Big Brown or Casino Drive is to find a horse that has the ability but hasn’t peaked yet. That could very well be Ready’s Echo who, even though he lacks actual wins, has been training forwardly for the race and has learned something from each one of his races.

What Todd Pletcher is trying to do is to get this horse to put it all together at exactly the right moment. He did so with Flower Alley during that one’s summer march through the handicap division. Why couldn’t he do it with Ready’s Echo?

I’m inclined to think that Pletcher can. There’s no reason that Ready’s Echo won’t improve in the 2008 Belmont Stakes.

With Big Brown suffering from the quarter-crack and Casino Drive going into the 1 ½ mile Test of Champions with only two lifetime starts, Ready’s Echo provides a very nice alternative.

His BetUS online racebook future book odds are currently 36 to 1. I like those odds. No reason not to take a stab, right?

Check the BetUS Belmont Stakes