posted June 4, 2008 at 17:49 EST in Triple Crown Betting Trends

Denis of Cork will go into the 2008 Belmont Stakes at a nice overlaid price of around 10 to 1. Just to be safe, I suggest that BetUS online horse race betting faithful go ahead and log onto the BetUS online racebook and drop a few bucks onto Denis of Cork at those 10 to 1 odds before June 7th.

As much smack as Big Brown’s trainer, Richard Dutrow, has been spouting since his horse crossed the finish line first in the Preakness Stakes, as much talk as there as been regarding the Japanese invader Casino Drive, as much as has been said about the fact that no horse came close to challenging Big Brown in either the Kentucky Derby or Preakness stakes, a simple fact has been ignored.

Denis of Cork is 3 out of 5 lifetime and, after having only run four times in his life, finished third in the Kentucky Derby. With a better trip, he might have finished second. With a faster pace, he might have won the Kentucky Derby.

Okay, maybe nobody was going to beat Big Brown on the first Saturday of May, but Denis of Cork should not be confused with some of the pretenders that Big Brown has faced in the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Denis of Cork is not a 10 to 1 long-shot in the 2008 Belmont Stakes. Odds of 6 to 1 or higher in the Belmont Stakes makes Denis of a Cork a very nice overlay.

Why? Because there isn’t another horse in the 2008 Belmont Stakes who will kick into gear faster, or with more aplomb, then Denis of Cork.

All he will need is a fast pace which will probably be provided by the presence of Spark Candle, Casino Drive’s entry mate, Casino Drive and Big Brown. All three horses figure to run on or close to the lead.

That leaves Denis of Cork’s jockey, the very capable Calvin Borel, finding an inside track to get to either Big Brown or Casino Drive in the lane.

Can Denis of Cork do it? Yes, he can. He is bred to relish the 1 ½ distance of the Belmont Stakes. He has the kicking ability to run down any horse in the race, and Big Brown and Casino Drive might be so involved with each other that he could sneak into the picture without either horse’s jockey knowing it.

There’s history regarding Belmont Stakes betting, of course, which leads me to believe that Denis of Cork upsetting both Big Brown and Casino Drive is possible. In 2005 Birdstone ran down a free-wheeling Smarty Jones to stop Smarty Jones’s Triple Crown quest.

It’s not too hard to imagine Denis of Cork doing the same thing to Big Brown this year. Denis of Cork’s past performances, actually, are eerily similar to Birdstone’s.

At BetUS online racebook future book odds of 10 to 1, I’ll have a few bucks on Denis of Cork.

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