posted May 27, 2008 at 17:21 in Triple Crown Betting Trends

Big Brown, the only horse it seems that anybody in the horse racing betting community is talking about in this year’s Belmont Stakes, looks practically unbeatable on paper. It definitely looks as if a horse like Icabad Crane won’t have a shot against Richard Dutrow’s charge.

How could he? The horse with the funny name will be going into only his fifth lifetime start in the 2008 Belmont Stakes. Big Brown beat Icabad Crane by 5 ¾ lengths in the Preakness Stakes. The margin could have been much worse had Kent Desormeaux, aboard Big Brown, decided to push his horse’s buttons a bit more.

Icabad Crane’s best win came in the Tesio Stakes, a minor race in Maryland, while Big Brown won the Grade I Florida Derby before taking the Kentucky Derby and Preakness this year.

Any way you look at it, Icabad Crane probably shouldn’t even be entered in the 2008 Belmont Stakes, but entered he will be. And, believe it or not, because the Belmont is still a horse race, he has as good a chance as anybody after Big Brown and Casino Drive to win the race.

Probably the best thing Icabad Crane has going for him is the fact that he is bred to be a winner. His father, Jump Start, is out of A.P. Indy, who won the Belmont in 1992. His dam, Adorahy, is out of the excellent turf horse, Rahy, who won his fair share of turf marathons.

That means that Icabad Crane won’t, or shouldn’t, have an issue with the 1 ½ mile Belmont Stakes. The horse should relish the longer distance.

He should also be much improved after taking down all but two of his other peers in the Preakness Stakes. Icabad Crane ran a terrific race in the Preakness. He was steadied at the 5 16ths pole but managed to make up some ground. Nobody was going to beat Big Brown that day, but without the trouble, and a little more seasoning, Icabad might have held off Macho Again for second in the Preakness.

Finally, Icabad has that all important human factor in his corner. Trainer Graham Motion is quickly becoming one of the top trainers in this country. His work with Icabad Crane and Adriano this year has been fantastic and who can forget the turf specialist Better Talk Now?

Icabad’s jockey, Jeremy Rose, was one of the reasons that Afleet Alex won both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 2005. He’s also getting to know Icabad Crane the longer they spend time together. Rose is a jockey who picks up the nuanaces of specific horses. He will make sure that Icabad puts in his best effort in the Belmont Stakes.

Are these reasons good enough for Icabad Crane to turn the tables on his own headless horseman nightmare that is Big Brown? Maybe not, but for those looking to make some off track betting green and upset the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Icabad Crane is definitely a live long-shot.

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