Belmont Stakes odds have Big Brown the overwhelming favorite to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes and become only the 12th horse in history to win the Triple Crown.The only other horse expected to have Belmont odds of less than 10-1 is Casino Drive. Big Brown and Casino Drive are likely to dominate Belmont betting.
Belmont odds favorite Big Brown has proven that he is worthy of the Triple Crown talk. He has dominated every race he has ever run and crushed weak Kentucky Derby and Preakness fields. Belmont odds second choice Casino Drive has only had two races but his latest was a big win in the Peter Pan Stakes. Belmont Stakes odds favorite Big Brown has the slight edge in experience and a big edge in talent. Casino Drive has never even faced horses with talent and while Big Brown may have faced weak Kentucky Derby and Preakness fields, at least he beat the best there was to offer.
Another negative for Casino Drive is that winners of the Peter Pan have failed poorly in recent Belmont betting. Only Coastal in 1979, Danzig Connection in 1986 and A.P. Indy in 1992 have pulled off the Peter Pan-Belmont double. And A.P. Indy missed the first two legs of the Triple Crown that year due to injury. Belmont odds second choice Casino Drive does have the pedigree though as he is the half brother to 2006 Belmont Stakes odds winner Jazil and half brother to last year’s Belmont betting winner, Rags to Riches.
Both Big Brown and Casino Drive have had jockey Kent Desormeaux in the irons and Desormeaux will of course ride Big Brown in the Belmont. Casino Drive will now be ridden by Edgar Prado who has ruined Triple Crown hopefuls in the past. He won aboard Sarava in 2002 to beat War Emblem in Belmont odds and in 2004 aboard Birdstone who upset Smarty Jones in Belmont odds.
If you are looking at Belmont odds you might want to consider the Big Brown-Casino Drive exacta although it probably won’t return you very much money. For more value in Belmont betting you might want to choose another second place horse instead of Casino Drive. Perhaps Denis of Cork or Icabad Crane could finish second in Belmont Stakes odds.