Big Brown a Shoe-In?
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. already feels that it’s a foregone conclusion that his horse Big Brown will win the 2008 Horse Racing Triple Crown. All Big Brown needs is to win at the Belmont Stakes on June 7 to capture horse racing’s most prestigious honor, but is Dutrow getting ahead of himself?
This is what Dutrow told the media recently about his horse Big Brown’s chase for the Triple Crown at the 2008 Belmont Stakes:
"I feel that he will do it," he said Thursday during the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s pre-Belmont conference call. "I feel like it’s actually a foregone conclusion. To me, I just see the horses he’s in with and I see our horse so I expect him to win this race.
"I know that when that day actually does come, and if our horse is in good shape, it will be the most exciting, thrilling moment of my life. So I just … I know that that’s coming, but right now I’m just staying involved with our horse and what we think is best to get him there the right way and it keeps us plenty busy."
Oddsmakers from Online Sports Book Bodog clearly don’t disagree with Dutrow’s comments as they’ve made Big Brown a 2/7-monster favorite to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes. The horse with the next best odds is Casino Drive, who has 9/2 odds to win at the Belmont.
“At those odds the bookmaker is really sending a strong message to bettors saying look, we think Big Brown is the horse that is going to win the Triple Crown.” said Mike Seaton of sports information site TheSpread.com. With that kind of message you have two choices – either agree and take Big Brown at not the greatest odds, or look to Casino Drive who at 9-2 they are giving an outside shot at the upset. 9-2 tells me that while the oddsmakers seem sold on Big Brown they are hedging their bets a little with Casino Drive.”
Win $10,000 on the 2008 Belmont Stakes
Let’s talk about Casino Drive for a second. Some feel that the mystery horse from China will actually give Big Brown a run for his money at the Belmont. Even though he’s only started two races, Casino Drive is undefeated and more importantly, he’s completely healthy.
Health is one thing Big Brown doesn’t have on his side. While he’s definitely expected to race on June 7 at Belmont Park, it’s public knowledge that he has a slight crack on the inside of his left hoof. The injury caused him to miss three days of training.
There’s one other big factor working against Big Brown, and that’s history. The last Triple Crown winner was in 1978 when Affirmed captured the dubious honor. That’s 30 years since horse racing last had a Triple Crown.
140th Belmont Stakes Odds to win – Saturday June 7, 2008 – Belmont Park – Elmont, New York
Big Brown 2/7 – Big Brown Belmont Pre-Race Report
Casino Drive 9/2 – Casino Drive Belmont Pre-Race Report
Denis of Cork 10/1 – Denis of Cork Belmont Pre-Race Report
Tale of Ekati 16/1 – Tale of Ekati Belmont Pre-Race Report
Behindatthebar 25/1 – Behindatthebar Belmont Pre-Race Report
Macho Again 40/1 – Macho Again Belmont Pre-Race Report
Mint Lane 50/1 – Mint Lane Belmont Pre-Race Report
Odds on – Will there be a Triple Crown Winner in US Thoroughbred Racing in 2008
Yes – Triple Crown Winner in 2008 –350
No – Triple Crown winner in 2008 +250
Odds provided by SPORTSBETTING.COM
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