With his win in the Preakness Stakes, Justify improved to a perfect 5-0 over the course of his young racing career. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner will try to earn the final jewel of the Triple Crown this Saturday at the Belmont Stakes.
Belmont Stakes 2018 odds: Justify set as the betting favorite with Triple Crown on the line
Justify will attempt to make history by winning the Triple Crown with a win at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, with the sportsbooks making him the clear chalk.
Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Justify is a -110 favorite on the odds to win the Belmont Stakes at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The three-year-old’s trip in the Preakness was much shakier than the one in the Kentucky Derby, barely holding off Bravazo (+750 to win the Belmont) and Tenfold (+1000) down the stretch.
The Belmont is known for its daunting 1.5 mile long distance, which could work against Justify should a closer or two come on strong around the final turn.
In addition to Bravazo and Tenfold, another one of those closers that could be trouble is Hofburg, the race’s second favorite going off at +450 to upset Justify and the rest of the field.
Hofburg got lost in the massive Kentucky Derby field in a seventh place finish but did show off some of his closing power by moving from 13th to seventh in the final stretch. The horse enters this race fresh after skipping the Preakness and ran a 104 Beyer Speed in a win at the Florida Derby prior to the Kentucky Derby.
The smaller field will give Hofburg a chance to get more comfortable this time around.
Another horse that should benefit from the smaller field and could make a splash is Vino Rosso (+900). Like Hofburg, Vino Russo was unable to get any traction in the Kentucky Derby, but has shown strong potential in the past and should be fresh coming into this race after taking the Preakness Stakes off to train for this one.
Rounding out the field on the Belmont Stakes betting lines are Blended Citizen (+1800), Gronkowski (+2500), Noble Indy (+2800), Free Drop Billy (+3000), and Restoring Hope (+3300).
Gronkowski should be a fan favorite among casual bettors as he is named after the New England Patriots pro bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski enters this race on the heels of a four-race winning streak overseas and should have extremely fresh legs with his last race coming on March 30.
Belmont Stakes Betting Odds
Justify -110
Hofburg +450
Bravazo +750
Vino Rosso +900
Tenfold +1000
Blended Citizen +1800
Gronkowski +2500
Noble Indy +2800
Free Drop Billy +3000
Restoring Hope +3300
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
