On June 9, Justify will aim to be the 13th horse to win the Triple Crown. A win would cement his legacy as one of the top racehorses ever, but winning all three legs of the Triple Crown is notoriously difficult. Before American Pharoah did it in 2015, 13 horses won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes only to come up short at the Belmont Stakes.
That gives the owners of the nine other horses in the field a lot of hope. Only Bravazo will have raced in all three of horse racing’s premier races too, meaning the eight other horses are reasonably fresh. Three of those have particular value.
2018 Belmont Stakes Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Justify 4-5
Bravazo 5-1
Hofburg 6-1
Vino Rosso 10-1
Tenfold 15-1
Noble Indy 20-1
Blended Citizen 20-1
Gronkowski 20-1
Restoring Hope 30-1
Free Drop Billy 30-1
Although he finished a disappointing ninth at the Kentucky Derby, there is plenty of reason to like Vino Rosso at these odds. Vino Rosso burst onto the scene at the Wood Memorial back in April. There, he was able to outduel Enticed down the stretch with an impressive finish. This horse was sixth at the 1/4 mark, but he picked up steam and showed that he has the ability to run 1.5 miles at a good pace.
Vino Rosso had a great workout last week too. He ran a half-mile in 47.04 seconds and looked comfortable with the pace. He was sired by Curlin, who many consider to be one of the best distance horses in recent history.
Two @BelmontStakes hopefuls, two world-class riders, one breeze that defined, "Matching strides." Vino Rosso (@ljlmvel up, outside) and Noble Indy (@jjcjockey) went a half in 47.04 this morning. pic.twitter.com/BuVkWY2BRf
— Coglianese Photos (@coglianesephoto) May 26, 2018
Todd Pletcher has taken three horses to wins at the Belmont Stakes over the last decade, and this horse is his best chance to win this year. There has been speculation that his other horse in the race, Noble Indy, will be used as a rabbit in order to make Justify work earlier than he wants to. That could give Vino Rosso a chance to pull ahead in the backstretch.
Gronkowski presents an enticing option too. The horse named after the Patriots’ tight end was supposed to run at the Kentucky Derby, but he was unable to go due to an illness.
It’s unfortunate Gronkowski the horse will not be able to race in the upcoming Kentucky Derby due to an illness. I fully support what is best for the horse. I know he will come back strong and healthy and I am excited to see him race again very soon.
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) April 23, 2018
This will be the first time that we see Gronkowski in North America. The European horse has been impressive across the pond, but he has yet to run on a dirt track. All six of his races have been on either turf or synthetic, so that puts him at a bit of a disadvantage.
However, unlike other European horses, he has had plenty of time to acclimate. Gronkowski has been in the States for two months and has had numerous workouts on dirt since then. He has won four races in a row and is worth a flyer at this price.
Finally, take a look at Free Drop Billy. He had an awful run at the Kentucky Derby, but some of that was the result of getting an inside post position. He didn’t have the speed as some of the other horses there, and that meant he was dead at the first turn.
The field at the Belmont Stakes will be much smaller. Free Drop Billy will have more room to operate and could surprise at this distance.
