Belmont betting is likely to favorite Kentucky Derby runner-up Ice Box on Saturday, June 5th.
Trainer Nick Zito is very pleased with how Ice Box is coming into the race and there is little doubt that the horse will be favored in Belmont odds.
Belmont betting should have a field of ten horses led by Ice Box. He is considered the best horse in the race. His final work was a very good one. He went four furlongs in a bullet time of 46.65 seconds on the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. It was the best time of 22 horses at that distance. He was ridden by assistant trainer Maxine Correa.
Trainer Nick Zito has won the Belmont twice in the past. He won with longshots in 2004 and in 2008. Birdstone paid $74 in 2004 while Da’Tara paid $79 in 2008. Neither of those horses was highly respected and they both ended Triple Crown hopes as Birdstone upset Smarty Jones while Da’Tara beat Big Brown. This time Zito is going to have the favorite and he may also have another horse with single-digit odds on Saturday, June 5th. Ice Box is going to be the favorite in Belmont odds and Zito’s other horse, Fly Down could be the second choice in the betting. Both of the horses are expected to ship to New York on Wednesday. Fly Down worked four-furlongs last Saturday in 49 2/5 seconds. Ice Box has won three of his eight career starts and earned $906,535. Fly Down has won three of his five starts and earned $182,070.
Other starts for the Belmont include Kentucky Derby fourth place finisher Make Music for me who is trained by Alexis Barba. He has one win in nine career starts. Preakness runner-up First Dude is another horse expected in the Belmont field. He is trained by Dale Romans. First Dude has one win in seven career starts. He could be the second or third choice in the betting behind the favored Ice Box.
Also in the Belmont field will be Game on Dude, Stately Victor, Drosselmeyer, Stay Put, Uptowncharlybrown, and Spangled Star. Of those horses it is possible that Drosselmeyer gets a little support since he was favored against Fly Down in the Dwyer Stakes.