Belmont Stakes Odds 2015: Horses to Avoid and Safest Jockeys to Bet This Year

The Belmont Stakes has been breaking the hearts of Triple Crown enthusiasts for the last 36 years.

Twelve horses have gone to the post since 1979 with a chance to win horse racing's greatest prize, but all of them have failed. Many of them were odds-on favorites who were beaten by huge underdogs who paid boxcar figures on the tote board.

For that reason, it's difficult to throw out any of the horses in this year's Belmont Stakes. In addition to favored American Pharoah (5-7, according to Odds Shark), seven other horses are entered in this year's 1 ½-mile classic, and only one of the challengers competed in the Preakness three weeks ago in Baltimore.

That horse was Tale of Verve (20-1), and he finished seven lengths behind American Pharoah in a heavy thunderstorm. Despite that showing, Tale of Verve does not seem to have the quality to run with the best horses in this race unless the skies open up again on race day.

We are also hesitant to recommend Frammento (40-1) and Keen Ice in the big race. Frammento is trained by Nick Zito, and horse players will remember that he sent Birdstone to the post against Smarty Jones, and his horse came up with 36-1 upset and a trip to the winner's circle in the Belmont. While Zito is a colorful trainer who has had success in this race, Frammento's credentials are unimpressive with only a maiden victory to his credit.

Trainer Dale Romans is well respected throughout the industry and Kent Desormeaux is an accomplished jockey who won the 2009 Belmont Stakes aboard Summer Bird, but Keen Ice does not have the background to be considered anything more than an outsider in this field. While he could rally late, tactical speed is often the best tool to use at the Belmont, and that's not Keen Ice's forte.

Post Position	Horse	Odds	Jockey	Rider's Best Belmont Finish
1	Mubtaahij	14-1	Irad Ortiz	Never ridden in Belmont Stakes
2	Tale of Verve	20-1	Gary Stevens	1st place (three times)
3	Madefromlucky	14-1	Javier Castellano	2nd place
4	Frammento	40-1	Mike Smith	1st place (twice)
5	American Pharoah	5-7	Victor Espinoza	2nd place
6	Frosted	6-1	Joel Rosario	1st place
7	Keen Ice	25-1	Kent Desormeaux	1st place
8	Materiality	13-2	John Velazquez	1st place

The jockeys in this classic race are all solid, although trainer Mike de Kock had to call on Irad Ortiz late after Mubtaahij's primary jockey decided against taking the mount. Ortiz has never competed in the Belmont Stakes.

Gary Stevens will ride Tale of Verve, and he is going for his fourth Belmont Stakes victory of all time. Stevens has ridden Thunder Gulch (1995), Victory Gallop (1998) and Point Given (2001) into the winner's circle in previous Belmont efforts. If he were to come up with the upset on Saturday, Stevens would join Bill Shoemaker, Eddie Arcaro, Earle Sande and James McLaughlin as the only jockeys to win the race four times or more.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Victor Espinoza will try to pilot American Pharoah to glory, and if he does, it will be his first Belmont Stakes victory. His best previous finish came in 2001 when he guided A.P. Valentine to a second-place finish.

Joel Rosario is on board Frosted, who is currently the second choice at 6-1. Rosario finished third while riding Brilliant Speed in 2011.

Materiality is trained by Todd Pletcher and is scheduled be ridden by John Velazquez. The jockey guided Rags to Riches to victory in the Belmont Stakes in 2007, and he also has three second-place finishes to his credit.