Belmont Stakes 2015: Odds for American Pharoah and Top Contenders

With Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah at the top of his game, at least one legitimate challenger has opted out of the Belmont Stakes.

Trainer Mark Casse said Thursday that Conquest Curlinate was not in top form, and that he was not going to run in the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

"We kind of felt like he wasn't training at the top of his game and you don't want to try American Pharoah unless he's at the top of his game," Casse told BloodHorse.com sportswriter Ron Mitchell.   

Instead, Conquest Curlinate will run in the July 5 Queen's Plate at Woodbine. The Queen's Plate is Canada's most prestigious race.

Horse	Odds
American Pharoah	5-6
Frosted	5-1
Materiality	15-2
Carpe Diem	12-1
Mubtaahij	16-1
Madefromlucky	22-1
Tale of Verve	22-1
Divining Rod	25-1
Keen ice	28-1
Frammento	40-1

That leaves 10 horses in the field for the June 6 Belmont Stakes. However, there are indications The Truth or Else is going to join the Belmont field. The Truth or Else is trained by Kenny McPeek, and his horse is coming off of an impressive 1 1/2-length score in an allowance race at Belmont Park.

McPeek wants his horse to run in the final Triple Crown race because he has been proficient at the New York track, as he told BloodHorse.com Thursday:

"

My horse loves the Belmont track. He has two starts and two wins on a dry track at Belmont. And he's out of a Colonial Affair mare (Lakenheath), so he should get the distance. His last race was a confidence-builder. He got a good time and an excellent speed figure. His last two races have set him up for this. He really needed to win his last race, which he did.

"

The Truth or Else is not officially in the Belmont Stakes field as of 10 p.m. ET Thursday night, but that could change before the end of the weekend.

American Pharoah's impressive win in the Preakness Stakes has turned him into the odds-on favorite to win the race and become thoroughbred horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed turned the trick in 1978. American Pharoah is the 5-6 favorite to win the race, according to Odds Shark.

Frosted is currently the second choice at 5-1, and he could be a strong challenger to American Pharoah. Frosted ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby, which was fairly impressive because he rallied from far behind to get to that spot. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin did not run him in the Preakness and instead sent him directly to New York. He should be well rested and prepared to run a strong race June 6.

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Materiality is the third betting choice at 15-2 after finishing sixth in the Derby and also staying away from the Preakness. Trainer Todd Pletcher has had excellent success in the Belmont Stakes before with horses that finished out of the money in the Derby, and much of that is because he doesn't put his horses through the grueling three-race stretch.

By staying out of the Preakness, both Frosted and Materiality have a great chance to be at or near top form in the Belmont.

Carpe Diem is another Pletcher-trained horse, and he is picking up some support at odds of 12-1. Horse players seem to like him, because he has been bet down from 16-1 earlier in the week.

Carpe Diem has some solid distance runners in his bloodlines, and the fact that he won the Tampa Bay Derby and the Blue Grass Stakes means he should have a legitimate chance here.  

Mubtaahij is losing support from bettors. He was listed at 14-1 earlier in the week, but his odds are now 16-1.

Mubtaahij finished a dull eighth in the Kentucky Derby, but he did not have an excuse, and that's why horse players may be pulling back from him. Trainer Mike de Kock is planning to work him once over the weekend in an effort to sharpen him and then gallop him next week before the race.