Belmont Stakes Odds 2015: Examining Lines, Payouts and Picks for Elmont Field

The tension is rising with the third jewel of the Triple Crown just a day away. While all eyes will be on American Pharoah to see if he can become the first horse since Affirmed to win all three Triple Crown races in the same year, horse players will also have their eyes on the cash prize.

It's one thing to go to Belmont Park and say you saw a horse compete for the Triple Crown, it's quite another to come home from the Elmont, New York, track with cash in hand as a result of winning the big race.

American Pharoah will carry heavy odds and expectations when he makes his run at history. However, he's not going to pay a favorable price as the odds-on favorite.

At his current odds of 5-7, according to Odds Shark, a $2 win bet on American Pharoah is likely to pay off in the $2.60-to-$2.80 range. Most American racetracks don't list their odds in that manner with odds-on favorites. In most cases, heavy favorites will be offered at 2-5, 3-5 or 4-5. In the case of prohibitive favorites, odds could be 1-5 or 1-9 in extreme cases.

Horse	Odds	Predicted Finish	Payoff for a $2 win bet
American Pharoah	5-7	1st	$2.60-$2.80
Frosted	6-1	2nd	$14
Madefromlucky	14-1	3rd	$30
Materiality	13-2	4th	$15
Mubtaahij	14-1	5th	$30
Tale of Verve	20-1	6th	$42
Keen Ice	25-1	7th	$52
Frammento	40-1	8th	$82

American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby in impressive fashion, as he got off to a quick start and was no worse than third at every point of call. He rallied to the lead in the stretch and was a strong winner. 

He was even better in the Preakness when he broke alertly from the inside post, took the lead and won going away by seven lengths. His performance was even more impressive because he ran in a heavy downpour that could have derailed a number of horses. However, jockey Victor Espinoza made sure he kept his mind on his business, and every step of that race was a winning one for him.

While American Pharoah would appear to be the most talented horse in the field, he is going to be battling two solid challengers who are well rested.

Neither Frosted (6-1) nor Materiality (13-2) ran in the Preakness, and both should be quite fresh for the 1 ½-mile Belmont test. Skipping the Preakness has been the formula the last nine Belmont winners have used, and it's a savvy way of preparing for the grueling test.

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Frosted struggled at the start of the Kentucky Derby, and he found himself in 15th place when he decided to turn it on. He managed to pass horses by running on the far outside, and he ended up fourth place after the halting start.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin knows that his horse is a solid runner and that if he can get off to a better start, he has a real chance to upset American Pharoah. If he can, his supporters will get back $14 on a $2 win bet.

"American Pharoah has been awesome, but this is his fourth race in eight weeks and we hope it catches up with him," McLaughlin told Geoffrey Riddle of the National. “We feel the timing is to our advantage. We need Frosted to have an A-plus race and American Pharoah to have a B race. We like our chances.”

Materiality is trained by Todd Pletcher, and that should earn him a lot of support at the window. Pletcher has a history of success in the Belmont Stakes, as eight of his horse have hit the board since 2006. Horse players respect him, and they will certainly appreciate the $15 payoff they will get on a $2 win bet.

Pletcher is also training Madefromlucky, an outsider at 14-1. Madefromlucky won the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park earlier this year, but he also lost two head-to-head confrontations with American Pharoah.

If he can somehow manage to beat the favorite and win the race, his supporters will get a $30 return for their $2 win bet.

Horse players should not ignore Mubtaahij, who will break out of the inside post. Mubtaahij was given quite a bit of respect before the Kentucky Derby because he won the highly competitive UAE Derby. However, he did not get off to a good start at Churchill Downs and never picked up the pace. If trainer Mike de Kock and jockey Irad Ortiz can get him to fire out of the gate, he could provide an interesting twist to the race.

If he manages to win, his 14-1 odds would pay his backers $30 on a $2 bet.