2008 Belmont Stakes Odds: Casino Drive Remains Big Threat

Jarrod Horak - June 7th, 2008 .

Casino Drive remains Big Browns major challenge at Belmont. Earlier reports of his injury appear to have been exaggerated. The bruised hoof has improved and as of Friday he is expected to run said racing manager Nobutaka Tada. Casino Drive is still second in the betting at odds of 7-2 at Bodoglife.com . The full 2008 Belmont Stakes odds are listed below.

Breaking news: Casino Drive has been scratched this morning after bruising his left hind hoof. Lines have been updated see below, read my Belmont picks and analysis of Denis of Cork .

As talented as Big Brown appears to be, history states that successfully completing his Triple Crown task is daunting. With that in mind, the two horses most likely to deny a Big Brown coronation are Casino Drive and Denis of Cork .

Casino Drive, a $950k Keeneland sales grad (2006), was purchased by Japanese connections. The son of Mineshaft, out of wonderful dam Better Than Honour, is a half-brother to Jazil, and a 3/4 brother to Rags To Riches. The aforementioned duo just happen to be the last two Belmont Stakes winners.

Kazuo Fujisawa, the top trainer in Japan, was preparing Casino Drive to run in the summer of 2007, but a few minor problems delayed his debut until Feb. 2008…and it was well worth the wait. He pulled off a sharp wire job, romping by 11-1/2 lengths at nine furlongs. The Belmont Stakes was immediately on the minds of his connections following that win, but an equine flu outbreak forced him into isolation, so he was not able to race again in Japan.

Casino Drive arrived in New York (Aqueduct) on April 28th, and it was a long journey indeed considering his isolation and quarrantine issues. He was at Belmont and preparing for the Peter Pan by April 30th, and he drilled a strong five furlongs in :59-4/5 on May 7th, just three days before his US bow.

In Belmont Park’s Peter Pan, run at nine furlongs, his stablemate Spark Candle acted as a rabbit and attended the early pace to ensure honest fractions, but it turned out that Casino Drive did not need any help. He stalked the pace and won as the rider pleased by a very easy 5-3/4 lengths. Ironically, he was ridden by Kent Desormeaux , the regular pilot of Big Brown.

In the four weeks since the Peter Pan, Casino Drive has been training in a much different manner than US fans are used to seeing. He has been walking at a very brisk pace, jogging, and galloping in company with stablemates Champagne Squall and Spark Candle. In fact, the times of his most recent three works have been so slow by US standards that they have not even been recognized as official workouts.

Since Kent D obviously had other Belmont plans, the Japanese contingent reached out for Edgar Prado, a two-time Belmont Stakes winning pilot. Not only did he boot Sarava and Birdstone home, but he spoiled Triple Crown bids both times.

Participating in the Belmont Stakes is now a reality, and Casino Drive is seemingly the real deal and might actually take the trophy home to Japan. Below are the complete Belmont Stakes odds, accurate at the time of publishing. Visit the official sites for most up to date lines. Make sure to check out my complete Belmont Stakes picks and predictions here .

All Odds from Bodoglife.com and BetUS.com

Big Brown 1-3

Guadalcanal 40

Macho Again 15

Denis of Cork 10

Casino Drive (Scratched)

Da Tara 25

Tale of Ekati 18

Anak Nakal 25

Readys Echo 25

Icabad Crane 18

 

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2 comments | Add One

1. 1 Belmont Stakes Preview (June 6th): Casino Drive has stone bruise; Big Brown’s foot patched - 06/7/2008 at 12:41 am

    

   [...] Casino Drive did not go to the track the day before the Belmont Stakes due to a stone bruise in his left hind leg. [...]

    

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2. 2 2008 Belmont Stakes Preview: Denis of Cork a Value Bet - 06/7/2008 at 11:49 am

    

   [...] to complete the sweep in the Belmont Stakes. The two horses most likely to spoil the party are Casino Drive and Denis of Cork at 12 to [...]

    

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