Sports Odds, Lines And Betting News

Belmont Stakes 2017 odds: Irish War Cry the betting favorite over Lookin At Lee

After taking the Preakness Stakes off, Irish War Cry returns to action as the favorite at the sportsbooks for the Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday.

by OddsShark

Jun 10, 2017, 4:00 PM UTC

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Preakness Stakes runner-up Classic Empire will miss the Belmont Stakes due to a recurring foot injury. With both Classic Empire and Always Dreaming skipping the Belmont, Irish War Cry has emerged as the betting favorite heading into Saturday’s race.

Irish War Cry is going off at +300 on the odds to win the Belmont Stakes at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The horse was one of the top contenders in the Kentucky Derby at 6-1, but finished a disappointing 10th place, unable to overcome an unfavorable draw into the No. 17 post.

In a much smaller field and with the most consistent speed numbers in the group, Irish War Cry could set the pace in this one.

Epicharis was a +350 to win the Belmont but was scratched earlier today due to lameness in his right front hoof.

It is always difficult to gauge how a horse will respond to the move internationally, but we won’t find out this time around as his foot injury prevented Epicharis from working out on Thursday and Friday until finally being scratched today.

Perhaps the best value in this board can be found on Lookin At Lee going off at +550. Lookin At Lee was a surprise finisher in the Kentucky Derby, edging out all but Always Dreaming for a second-place finish due to an outstanding late kick.

The Derby runner-up finished fourth in the Preakness, but the Belmont’s 1 1/2 long distance should favor closers like Lookin at Lee.

One of the knocks on Lookin At Lee despite his current form is his lack of victories, with only two in 11 races. Bettors looking to take a shot on a horse with a strong late kick with more career success might go for Senior Investment (+650) or Tapwrit (+750) instead. Senior Investment finished third in the Preakness and had won four of his previous five races before that.

Rounding out the field on Saturday are Gormley (+1200), Meantime (+1400), J Boys Echo (+1600), Multiplier (+1600), Twisted Tom (+2000), Patch (+2500), and Hollywood Handsome (+3300).