Belmont Stakes Betting: Hard Spun's Turn?
Twelve furlongs is a tough journey for a thoroughbred.
Only seven horses will make that journey this Saturday for the 139th running of the Belmont Stakes, a race that always finds it hard to draw the top horses when a Triple Crown is not on the line. The 1 1/2-mile trek around beautiful "Big Sandy" is the longest in North America, at least on dirt. Few horses have the stamina to be considered favorites at the Belmont.
Hard Spun is one of the masses. After finishing in the Top 3 at both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, he’s pegged at 5-2 to win Saturday’s race, second to Curlin at 6-5. The third time could very well be a charm for this dark bay. But to win the Belmont, Hard Spun has to do two things he has never done: win a race against the top 3-year-olds, and win a race over 1 1/8-mile.
The first problem has mainly to do with Curlin. He was not in the field at either the Grade III Lecomte Stakes in January or the Grade II Lane’s End Stakes in March, Hard Spun’s two victories on the Triple Crown trail. His toughest opponents there were the likes of Teuflesberg and Sedgefield. Curlin is the favorite on Saturday for a reason: four wins, including the Preakness, and a third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.
Hard Spun also faces the challenge of beating filly sensation Rags to Riches, the third favorite at 3-1. Which brings us to the second problem. Rags to Riches has that great Belmont-tested pedigree that bettors are drooling over: A.P. Indy via Seattle Slew. It’s a genetic formula brimming with stamina; it worked last year for Jazil, and it could work for his sister this year. Hard Spun’s pedigree, meanwhile, is further evidence that he is better off running shorter races on turf.
Both these obstacles can be overcome – but would you bet on it?
Technorati tag(s): belmont stakes betting, hard spun, belmont contenders
Only seven horses will make that journey this Saturday for the 139th running of the Belmont Stakes, a race that always finds it hard to draw the top horses when a Triple Crown is not on the line. The 1 1/2-mile trek around beautiful "Big Sandy" is the longest in North America, at least on dirt. Few horses have the stamina to be considered favorites at the Belmont.
Hard Spun is one of the masses. After finishing in the Top 3 at both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, he’s pegged at 5-2 to win Saturday’s race, second to Curlin at 6-5. The third time could very well be a charm for this dark bay. But to win the Belmont, Hard Spun has to do two things he has never done: win a race against the top 3-year-olds, and win a race over 1 1/8-mile.
The first problem has mainly to do with Curlin. He was not in the field at either the Grade III Lecomte Stakes in January or the Grade II Lane’s End Stakes in March, Hard Spun’s two victories on the Triple Crown trail. His toughest opponents there were the likes of Teuflesberg and Sedgefield. Curlin is the favorite on Saturday for a reason: four wins, including the Preakness, and a third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.
Hard Spun also faces the challenge of beating filly sensation Rags to Riches, the third favorite at 3-1. Which brings us to the second problem. Rags to Riches has that great Belmont-tested pedigree that bettors are drooling over: A.P. Indy via Seattle Slew. It’s a genetic formula brimming with stamina; it worked last year for Jazil, and it could work for his sister this year. Hard Spun’s pedigree, meanwhile, is further evidence that he is better off running shorter races on turf.
Both these obstacles can be overcome – but would you bet on it?
Technorati tag(s): belmont stakes betting, hard spun, belmont contenders
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