Exaggerator the Heavy Betting Favorite on Odds to Win Belmont Stakes

With Nyquist out of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 11, Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Exaggerator is the heavy favorite for the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

The Keith Desormeaux trainee is the 10-11 betting favorite on the Belmont Stakes odds at Bodog.

The colt has won five of his 11 career starts and has earned $2,971,120 in his career, ending Nyquist’s Triple Crown bid with a 3 ½ length victory in the Preakness in the slop on May 21.

With three victories in four trips over wet tracks in his career, his connections will be doing a rain dance next week in the Big Apple.

It looks as if we will see a field of 10 or 11 for the Belmont, including as many as five runners that competed in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness.

Among those is Suddenbreakingnews, who had some traffic troubles in the early going of the Run for the Roses and came with a belated run to finish fifth. The colt is the second choice in Belmont Stakes betting at Bodog at 6-1.

The others that ran in the Derby, skipped the Preakness and are likely to return in the Belmont are Destin, Brody’s Cause, Mo Tom and Creator.

The only horse other than Exaggerator that will compete in all three jewels of the Triple Crown is the Japanese based Lani. The colt was ninth in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Preakness. The colt is at 14-1.

Preakness Stakes runner up Cherry Wine is the third choice in Belmont Stakes wagering at 8-1. The late running colt was fourth in the Rebel (G2) and third in the Blue Grass (G1) and likely will relish the 1 ½ mile distance of the Belmont.

Stradivari was beaten four lengths in his fourth place finish in the Preakness which was his stakes debut. He will be saddled by trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the Belmont with Palace Malice in 2013 and Rags to Riches in 2007. His betting odds stand at 9-1 at Bodog.

Last year, American Pharoah in his historic Triple Crown run became the first betting favorite to win the Belmont Stakes since Afleet Alex in 2005.

Handicapper Michael Dempsey provides his full card analysis for Belmont Park daily at turfnsport.com. Kentucky Derby Odds readers can use the coupon code “sport” for 20% off reports through the Belmont Stakes!