Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law favored, but not overwhelmingly, for Kentucky Derby

Tiz the Law went off as the clear-cut -120 favorite on the moneyline odds at William Hill sportsbook to win the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, and the 3-year-old colt was quite clearly the best horse in the watered-down field in winning by 3¾ lengths, covering the 1⅛ miles in 1:46.53. The race was run as the first leg of the Triple Crown for the first time in history due to a coronavirus-related shuffling of the schedule and was shortened from its usual 1½ miles.

It was only the fourth time in the past 16 years that the betting favorite won the Belmont Stakes and first time a New York-bred horse won it since Forester in 1882. Not a big surprise, then, that William Hill has listed Tiz the Law as the early +250 favorite to win the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. The Preakness Stakes is then scheduled for Oct. 3.

Bettors at William Hill cashed in big time on Tiz the Law as 29 percent of all tickets sold on the race were on the colt to win as was a whopping 74 percent of all money wagered. No other horse even took 10 percent of the action.

Tiz the Law trainer Barclay Tagg – who got his first Belmont Stakes win – says his horse will next run in the Aug. 8 Grade I Travers Stakes followed by the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and No. 7 Breeders' Cup Classic. That's assuming good health. Three other top Belmont contenders, Charlatan, Nadal and Maxfield, were unable to run due to injury. Nadal had to be retired.

Honor A.P. is the +350 second-favorite for the Kentucky Derby with Authentic at +500 and then a huge drop-off. Honor A.P. didn't run in the Belmont but won the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on June 6. Authentic also ran in that race, finishing second, and not the Belmont. 

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