Horse Racing | Betting Blog

2012 Belmont Stakes Post Positions Released

Jun 072012

2012 Belmont Stakes Post Positions Released

On Wednesday night, the 2012 Belmont Stakes post positions and Belmont Stakes morning lines odds were released, and here at Cappers Mall, we’re taking our one final look at the 12 horses that are going to be in the Belmont Stakes and which ones have a shot of beating the 2012 Belmont Stakes odds!

On the far inside is Street Life (18 to 1). This is the only horse that ran in the Peter Pan at Belmont Park four weeks ago. He is going to probably be hurt by having that No. 1 position, and that’s why he has watched his odds come tumbling down.

In the No. 2 post is Unstoppable U (25 to 1). This is one of the more intriguing horses in the field, knowing that he has the potential to beat some of the best horses in the world. That being said, this still isn’t all that great of a horse, much like the colts in the even numbered stalls to his right as well. #4 Atigun (25 to 1), #6 Ravelo’s Boy (45 to 1), #8 Guyana Star Dweej (60 to 1), and #10 Optimizer (20 to 1) are horses that we don’t feel like have all that much of a shot. The only odd numbered horse that we think doesn’t have a fighting chance though, is #7 Five Sixteen (50 to 1).

You might notice that we left out one of the even numbered horses. #12 My Adonis (30 to 1) could be one of the more interesting horses to watch in this race. He was a late entry into the field, and he was put here due to the fact that he has a lot of speed, something that not a lot of other horses have. That could be bad news for a lot of the other horses that were hoping to get a relatively clean break to the front of the pack that perhaps don’t have the same type of speed. My Adonis could be a very sneaky pick at the end of the day, as we think he has the distance and the initial speed to be a threat. The question though, is whether he really has the quality to get the job done.

The two horses that have great Belmont Stakes post positions are #3 Union Rags (3 to 1) and #5 Dullahan (7 to 2). Union Rags was one of the favorites at the Kentucky Derby, and he passed on the Preakness Stakes after a terrible run at Churchill Downs. That being said, Union Rags is a horse that, if he can stay out of trouble, certainly has the quality to beat any of the three-year old colts in the world. With a post on the inside and no horses anywhere near him that are going to try to run the same race that he does, we might see Union Rags get a lot better start, which could make him a frightening horse. Dullahan has a lot less traffic to get around in this race than he did at the Kentucky Derby. He is a scary horse because he has the distance, he has the legs to close, and he is relatively fresh after not running a race in the last month and change.

The No. 9 horse, Paynter (6 to 1) is a horse that some are looking at to be in the ideal spot with, again, not a lot of horses around him that should challenge. Paynter has had just four races in his career, and he finished with a Beyer Speed Rating of 100 and 106 in those two runs. Another race in the mid-100s, and Paynter could be a challenger for the Belmont Stakes, but we are still leery of this horse, knowing that Trainer Bob Baffert didn’t bring him to either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes and that his top horse, Bodemeister, has already been bested in both of the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

But of course, all eyes are going to be on I’ll Have Another (4 to 5). Unfortunately for Jockey Mario Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another, he has a terrible post position at No. 11. If he wants to get to the front of the pack before the first turn, he’ll have to go out with My Adonis right next to him. If I’ll Have Another gets to the inside, he will clearly be using some of that now patented push that he has had at the ends of these Triple Crown races. If not, he will probably be forced into a situation where he has to run four, five, or maybe even six wide into the first turn. If that’s the case, an already tremendously long 1 ½ miles might become more like 1.6 miles of racing or so. Either way, it’s not an ideal position to be in to say the least.

2012 Belmont Stakes Post Positions and Current Odds

1: Street Life (18 to 1)

2: Unstoppable U (25 to 1)

3: Union Rags (3 to 1)

4: Atigun (25 to 1)

5: Dullahan (7 to 2)

6: Ravelo’s Boy (45 to 1)

7: Five Sixteen (50 to 1)

8: Guyana Star Dweej (60 to 1)

9: Paynter (6 to 1)

10: Optimizer (20 to 1)

11: I’ll Have Another (4 to 5)

12: My Adonis (30 to 1)

Horses Set For 2012 Belmont Stakes Odds

Betting Odds, Horse Racing

Jun 012012

The 2012 Belmont Stakes odds are going to be coming out early next week, but here at Cappers Mall, we are keeping a close eye on the odds to win the Belmont Stakes now that the field is likely set. The 12-horse field is going to be a heck of a lot weaker than it once appeared with some others bowing out, and Bookmaker Racebook has all of the Belmont Stakes race odds out for the third leg of the Triple Crown!

Of course, all eyes are going to remain fixated on I’ll Have Another, who is currently 7 to 5. When the Triple Crown odds opened at 5Dimes Racebook, I’ll Have Another was listed at +170, but he has dropped at 5Dimes to +130.

It is clear that I’ll Have Another was no joke, knowing that he was able to run down Bodemeister at the death of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Of course, Bodemeister isn’t going to be taking a third shot at I’ll Have Another at the Belmont Stakes, and that really could open up the field. The good news is that I’ll Have Another is a relatively fresh horse, having run just four races since turning three-years old. He is a perfect 4-0 in those races, and he has had Mario Gutierrez on the mount for all four. His Beyer Speed Ratings keep getting better and better as well, and that 109 at the Preakness Stakes was as good as we have seen this year out of an horse, regardless of age.

That being said, there are still a few horses that have to think that they have a shot at claiming the third leg of the Triple Crown. Two horses that were big time colts to bet on at the Kentucky Derby, Union Rags (9 to 2) and Dullahan (9 to 2) are going to be taking their best shots at I’ll Have Another. The problem that both of these horses have is that they run the same type of race that I’ll Have Another does. Dullahan will try to drift to the back of the pack and close at the wire, while Union Rags is going to try to stay right there with I’ll Have Another out of the blocks and try to outrun him at the gun. If fatigue is an issue for the race favorite, one of these two horses could be the one to beat.

The only other two horses that are going to be running in the Belmont Stakes that came out of the Triple Crown races this year are Alpha (15 to 1) and Optimizer (30 to 1). Optimizer is the suspect horse of these two, as we are puzzled as to why D. Wayne Lukas continues to run this horse against the big boys. He only ran an 83 and an 85 in the first two Triple Crown races of the year, and he was never a factor in either race. At least Alpha competed at the Wood Memorial, and he could be interesting in this one.

There aren’t a heck of a lot of other notable horses in the field as of right now. Paynter is relatively intriguing at 10 to 1, but we are really surprised that he has been entered into this race by Bob Baffert. Baffert didn’t bring Bodemeister to the Belmont, and now, he is going to be running a colt that was beaten in the Santa Anita Derby fairly badly and has only run in four races in his career. That being said, Paynter has had two very, very good races in a row, running a 100 speed rating at Churchill Downs a few weeks before the Kentucky Derby, and then he turned around and won by 5 ¾ lengths at Pimlico the week before the Preakness Stakes.

The only other horse that figures to have all that much of a chance in the end is Street Life (15 to 1). This is the only colt that ran in the Peter Pan, which is run in Elmont the week between the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. Normally, horses that do well in the Peter Pan all come to the Belmont Stakes. Street Life finished third in that race, and he was the third favorite on the board. We would have felt a heck of a lot better about Mark Valeski running in this race after he won the Peter Pan, but if we are going to back a horse that has been running on the New York circuit, the only option that we have is Street Life.

Current Odds To Win Belmont Stakes (As Of 5/31)

I’ll Have Another 7/5

Dullahan 9/2

Union Rags 9/2

Paynter 10/1

Alpha 15/1

Street Life 15/1

Atigun 25/1

Optimizer 30/1

Unstoppable U 30/1

Five Sixteen 50/1

Guyana Star Dweej 50/1

Ravelo’s Boy 50/1

I’ll Have Another Tries For Triple Crown On Belmont Stakes Odds

Betting Odds, Horse Racing

May 202012

I’ll Have Another has done it again. The horse that hardly anyone wanted to back at the Kentucky Derby shocked the world when he came out of nowhere to win the first leg of the Triple Crown, and now, he has the second jewel as well. In the final few strides for the second time, I’ll Have Another bested Bodemeister at the death in a Triple Crown race and now, horse racing is on the verge of having its first Triple Crown winner in over three decades.

5Dimes Sportsbook has currently up put odds of +170 that I’ll Have Another wins the Triple Crown. The bad news is that these aren’t nearly the best Belmont Stakes odds that we have seen for a horse trying to win the Triple Crown in the past few years. The best of the best was clearly Big Brown, a horse that romped to victories both at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes before pulling up short in the Belmont.

What we have seen out of I’ll Have Another though, is that he has the stamina to be able to make it the full 1 ½ miles that he is going to have to run on the first Saturday of June in the Big Apple. He has been able to put together bursts of speed right at the end of races in each of the last two major affairs, and he has looked like with more distance, he would only get stronger and stronger.

I’ll Have Another is also a relatively fresh horse, as he only has four races under his belt this year. By the way, all of those races have ended in victories.

A shot at horse racing history is most certainly there for relatively unknown jockey Mario Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another, but we just aren’t all that optimistic that he is going to get the job done. Many trainers and owners think that this horse is vulnerable, and it might be a slightly bigger than normal field that goes to Belmont to try to take him down. Don’t be surprised if Bodemeister and others try one last time to try to get in the winner’s circle for a Triple Crown race, and we think that the oddsmakers are acknowledging that it is a distinct possibility, knowing that most horses that are running for the Triple Crown are odds on favorites.

2012 Preakness Stakes Odds

Betting Odds, Horse Racing

May 172012

This Saturday, the 2012 Preakness Stakes Odds will get underway, as 11 horses go out in search of the second leg of the Triple Crown. Post positions have been drawn, and the horses are getting prepped to go to the gate at Pimlico Racetrack, and here at Cappers Mall, we are taking a look at the odds to win the 2012 Preakness Stakes, courtesy of Bookmaker Sportsbook!

On the inside, we don’t have a heck of a lot of good to say about #1 Tiger Walk (33/1) or #2 Teeth of the Dog (15/1). Tiger Walk is likely to end up getting jammed on the inside very quickly and be knocked out of this race essentially before it really even starts. The only thing to like about Teeth of the Dog is that he has a great run in the Wood Memorial to fall back on. The bad news is that Gemologist and Alpha, the two horses that he beat that day at Aqueduct, both ran relatively poorly at the Kentucky Derby, and neither has come with Teeth of the Dog to Pimlico.

#3 Pretension (33/1) is the only horse in the field that has won here at Pimlico. He did so on Kentucky Derby Saturday, beating a relatively weak field with a solid time of 1:45.70 at 1 1/16 miles. This is a horse that might be able to get out of the gate in the lead as he did in the relatively small field in the race at Pimlico two weeks ago. If he does, Pretension might be able to hold on the board, though we just aren’t all that sure. Further to his outside, we don’t have a lot to say about #4 Zetterholm (22/1), knowing that he has never really competed against horses at this level before.

The next few horses are all ones that we think have a legitimate shot to win the Preakness Stakes. #5 Went the Day Well (6/1) probably had the third best run of any horse in the Kentucky Derby. He was mired right in the middle of the track with a ton of horses to get around, but in the end, jockey John Velazquez was able to get him all the way up to fourth, just two lengths off of the pace. He is one of the few big closing horses in the field, and with less traffic and a lot better post draw, we think the world of this colt.

#6 Creative Cause (7/1) is just to his outside, and this is a great spot for this horse to be in. There isn’t much talent to his inside, save for Went the Day Well, and we know that the horse directly to his outside is going to be way out in front of him. This is the perfect stalking horse, and it is going to be a colt that is there at the gun. Creative Cause always has his nose in on the final say of the action, and this is a horse that has a heck of a lot of heart to match his speed down the stretch.

The horse that we think should be the odds on favorite though, is #7 Bodemeister (7/4). Bodemeister probably ran one of the best Kentucky Derbies that we have ever seen out of a losing horse, and he is going to be back with vengeance here at Pimlico. Unlike at the Derby, there isn’t all that much speed lining up near Bodemeister, and he should be able to run the pace that he wants instead of being run out of gas by a rabbit. We have seen impressive runs out of this horse at a comparable distance before, and the truth of the matter is if the Kentucky Derby was just 1 3/16 miles and not 1 ¼ miles, we might be talking about a horse going for the second leg of the Triple Crown right here. We would also be talking about a horse that would be something like 1 to 2, and not 8 to 5 on the Preakness Stakes morning lines.

Once we go further outside, there are more horses that we really don’t think much of. It seemed to us as if #8 Daddy Nose Best (14/1) was outclassed at the Kentucky Derby by a ton of horses that were just better than he was. He also has the dubious task of lining up right in between the two Preakness Stakes favorites, and that might come back to put Julien Leparoux in a bad spot to try to manage this horse.

All eyes are going to be on #9 I’ll Have Another (5/2), who is going to look for another strong running at the Preakness Stakes to head to Belmont with a shot at a Triple Crown. We just don’t see it happening, though. I’ll Have Another never really showed those flashes of being a big time closer before the Kentucky Derby, and we don’t know if his close was a product of a true burst from a great horse, or because Bodemeister was just worn out. We will probably see on Saturday though, especially if I’ll Have Another gets back up towards the front of the pack and duels eye to eye with Bodemeister once again.

Rounding out the field are #10 Optimizer (33/1) and #11 Cozzetti (33/1). Neither of these horses really have a shot at winning the Preakness Stakes in our eyes. Optimizer just wasn’t good enough to do anything significant at the Derby, and he has finished outside of the money in all but one of his last seven races. Cozzetti might be a bit of a closing surprise if he gets a cleanrun at it, but we see a lot more negatives than positives out of a colt that has never won as a three-year old.

I’ll Have Another Preakness Stakes Odds

Betting Odds, Horse Racing

May 072012

I’ll Have Another Preakness Stakes Odds

The Preakness Stakes is still a week and a half away, but here at Cappers Mall, we are already asking the questions whether he can become the first colt in over three decades to win the Triple Crown.

Beating the Preakness Stakes odds certainly isn’t going to be easy for I’ll Have Another, especially if colts like Bodemeister end up racing against him for the second jewel of the Triple Crown. 5Dimes Sportsbook though, has I’ll Have Another lined at +325 to win the Preakness Stakes, which may or may not ultimately make him the favorite to head to the Belmont Stakes in search of a Triple Crown.

We have to give jockey Mario Gutierrez all of the credit in the world for the way that he rode his colt at the Derby. I’ll Have Another started in the No. 19 post, and he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to get to the rail by the time the first turn came around. Instead, Gutierrez, who had never won a race of this magnitude before in his life, kept I’ll Have Another in a stalking position.

Heading into the backstretch, I’ll Have Another was on the pace, but not quite setting it, and as the 20-horse field turned for home, this looked like it was going to be a day for Bodemeister, as he opened up a two-length lead with just a couple hundred yards left to run.

Had this been the Preakness Stakes, run at just a mile and an eighth, Bodemeister would have been in the winner’s circle in impressive fashion. Instead, in that last furlong or so, I’ll Have Another stormed out of nowhere to draw level with Bodemeister, and when the two looked each other in the eye for a stride or two, it was the horse on the outside that pulled away and ended up winning by 1 ½ lengths.

The big question about I’ll Have Another at Pimlico is whether he is going to be in a better post position. At the Preakness Stakes, sitting on the rail is crucial, and we have seen this horse be able to get out of the blocks in a hurry in his previous races. Another start on the outside though, and in the end, it is going to be incredibly difficult for I’ll Have Another to become a back-to-back race champ in the Triple Crown.

2012 Kentucky Derby Odds

Betting Odds, Horse Racing

May 052012

2012 Kentucky Derby Odds

The Kentucky Derby is set to go to post on Saturday afternoon, and here at Cappers Mall, we are taking a look at the most recent Kentucky Derby odds on the board along with the post positions for the horses that are in the field for the Run For the Roses.

In the inside two posts, Daddy Long Legs and Optimizer don’t figure to have all that much of a chance of capturing the bed of roses at 30 to 1 and 50 to 1 respectively. That being said, one step to the inside, the No. 3 Take Charge Indy is becoming a popular pick of the Kentucky Derby handicappers with Calvin Borel aboard. This colt can be had at 15 to 1 on the morning line odds.

The favorites are all in line one right after the other at this point, and they couldn’t be different horses. Union Rags has the No. 4 post, and he has had some great runs over the course of his career. He is going to be stalking the lead pack, while the No. 5 right next to him, Dullahan is going to be dropping back through the field and trying to come from off of the pace. Dullahan is coming off of a big time win at the Blue Grass Derby, and he is an 8 to 1 favorite to win the first leg of the Triple Crown. Next to him is the horse that is likely to go off as the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, No. 6 Bodemeister. This colt has been remarkable in the four races in his career, posting three 100+ speed ratings and coming up with two massive romps, most recently in the Arkansas Derby with Mike Smith aboard.

No. 7 Rousing Sermon and No. 9 Trinniberg both don’t have a heck of a lot of chance to win the Kentucky Derby this year, and they are both 50 to 1. However, the horse between them, No. 8 Creative Cause is a horse to be reckoned with on Saturday. He has been a consistent performer in his career, finishing no worse than third in any run, and with Joel Rosario getting the mount, he is sure to be a horse to be reckoned with.

In the middle of the pack, No. 10 Daddy Nose Best is a 15 to 1 shot that is getting a lot of action after running a 100 speed rating in his most recent race. That being said, No. 11 Alpha, also a 15 to 1 horse, isn’t quite getting as much action, though he did only lose the illustrious Wood Memorial by a neck.

Further outside we go to No. 12 Prospective, a horse with good breeding, but not great results in his career. He is 30 to 1 for a reason. No. 13 Went the Day Well also has good breeding to work with, but he has never run in anything more than a G3 race on the dirt and might be challenged.

Both No. 14 Hansen and No. 15 Gemologist are horses that are getting a lot of action. Hansen has been one of the more consistent horses of late, running four straight races in the mid-90s in terms of speed rating, and one of those came in the slop. Gemologist is the horse that won the Wood Memorial, and he also has two wins here at Churchill Downs to his credit as a two year old as well.

From here, there isn’t a heck of a lot in terms of horses that we have all that much confidence in. No. 16 El Padrino is 20 to 1, but it really isn’t considered anywhere near the best of the three year old colts in this year’s field. Few are giving much of a chance to No. 17 Done Talking at 50 to 1 or No. 18 Sabercat at 30 to 1. No. 19 I’ll Have Another might have been a better choice than 12 to 1 had he drawn a bit of a further post to the inside, while the field rounds out with the horse that is likely going to end up being the longest shot on the board, No. 20 Liaison.

Click below for a 50% Welcome Bonus at Bovada