Belmont Stakes Preview: Ice Box To Be Red Hot?

Executive write Shane Matthews previews the Belmont Stakes odds.

Hard to believe the Triple Crown is almost complete, but horse race betting fans have just one more event on the docket, the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 5. What’s some of the early buzz about the contenders? Super Saver and Lookin at Lucky, winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, respectively, are both sitting out the race, so the third leg of the Triple Crown is truly up for grabs.   Let’s have a look at the names getting tossed around. It’s worth noting that most books don’t have odds for the race posted just yet.

My fave racer entering the Preakness was Ice Box and he’s once again among the top contenders to win the Belmont. He made a serious run at the Kentucky Derby but couldn’t battle through traffic to win the Run for the Roses. He sat out the Preakness Stakes but seems ready to make a serious run at the tough Belmont track. The Florida Derby winner is nicely suited to the long track.

Nick Zito trains Ice Box and has another horse, Fly Down, in sports betting contention at the Belmont. He recently won at Belmont Park and impressed with his 100 Beyer Speed Figure but some pundits – this sports betting blog included – wonder if he has the steam to handle a 1 ½-mile track.

The other contender getting a lot of buzz is Game On Dude. His trainer, legendary Bob Baffert, already won the Preakness with Lookin at Lucky this year. Game on Dude started slowly this season but won the Lone Star Derby on May 8, so momentum is definitely on his side.

The sleeper of the group may be Uptowncharlybrown , whose trainer passed away but who has shown signs of major improvement of late – especially at Belmont Park.

That’s an initial look at the top horse race betting contenders. In the next couple of weeks, stay tuned for deeper analysis – including prop bets.

For more information: The top websites for betting previews for every sports bet against the scores and odds are all part of the OffshoreInsiders.com Network.