Belmont Stakes 2017 odds: Epicharis scratch leads to muddled field

Irish War Cry came into Saturday the morning line odds favorite to win the 2017 Belmont Stakes, and that is where he remains. At 4/1 on NYRA.com — the title sponsor and most official oddsmaker — Irish War Cry is actually a little worse than where he opened the day.

The big news of the morning, however, that Epicharis was scratched from the Belmont after suffering from lameness in his right front hoof, already seemed to be absorbed into bettors’ minds. After opening the day at 4/1, he fell to 12/1 before the scratch. The decision seems for the best rather than risking the colt’s health on a 1-1/2-mile track. And while it did take some of the narrative Belmont organizers hoped to cash in on — the Japanese “invader” (as he was referred to more than a few times) — it opened the way for the rest of the field.

So now behind Irish War Cry in the 11-horse field are a pair of horses who last ran in the Kentucky Derby, Tapwrit and Lookin At Lee, at 5/1. Lookin At Lee finished runner-up behind Always Dreaming in that race, 2-3/4 lengths off the pace. Tapwrit finished sixth, 10-1/4 back.

Senior Investment, at 6/1, and Twisted Tom, at 7/1 follow. Trained by Chad Brown and jockeyed by Javier Castellano, Twisted Tom will start on the rail.

Here are the odds as of 11:30 a.m. ET:

Irish War Cry, 4/1
Lookin At Lee, 5/1
Tapwrit, 5/1
Senior Investment, 6/1
Twisted Tom, 7/1
Gormley, 9/1
J Echos Boy, 10/1
Patch, 11/1
Meantime, 14/1
Multiplier, 15/1
Hollywood Handsome, 18/1
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Epicharis, scratched