Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist might not be competing in the 2016 Belmont Stakes, but that doesn’t mean the field will have wide open odds in the $1.5 million, 1-1/2 mile race. Preakness winner Exaggerator was given 9-5 odds to win Saturday in New York.
Belmont Stakes 2016 odds: Morning line released
Exaggerator is, to no one’s surprise, the strong favorite.
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Stradivari, the lightly tested Todd Pletcher charge who finished fourth at the Preakness, has the second-best odds at 5-1, while Destin (6-1) and Cherry Wine (8-1) also check in at better than 10-1. They’re followed by Suddenbreakingnews (10-1) and Creator (10-1).
Nyquist will not be competing due to a fever and high white blood cell count following the Preakness.
It’s easy to see why the Desormeaux brothers’ Exaggerator (trained by Keith, ridden by Kent) -- who has two Grade I victories on his resume in his 3-year-old season and six wins in his career -- is the favorite. He had a strong second-place showing in the Kentucky Derby, closing well but running out of real estate down the stretch before he could catch Nyquist. He then won the Preakness by 3-1/2 lengths over runner-up Cherry Wine. At Santa Anita in April, Exaggerator closed from about 20 lengths back to win by more than six.
Stradivari is an interesting choice as well. He had competed in just three races, none of any acclaim, before traveling to Pimlico in May. Due to his times and connections, he became a bit of a dark horse favorite to compete, and he did. Although he finished fourth, it was in a pack four lengths back along with Cherry Wine, Nyquist (4) and Lani (5).
Speaking of Lani, the Japanese-trained winner of the UAE Derby is the only other horse to compete in all three Triple Crown races. He’s set at 20-1 odds and will break from the gate directly to the inside of Exaggerator.
The 148th Belmont Stakes will go to the gate at approximately 6:32 p.m. ET and can be viewed on NBC. Online, you can stream the race using NBC Sports Live Extra.
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