2009 Belmont Stakes Odds - Flying Private Belmont Betting Longshot

Only two horses will have run in all three Triple Crown races this year. Belmont Stakes odds favorite Mine That Bird is getting all the attention while the other horse, Flying Private is going under the radar. Flying Private was listed in early odds at 20-1 but has come down slightly to 15 or even 12 to 1 at most online horse betting sites. It is hard to ever have a D. Wayne Lukas horse go under the radar in Belmont Stakes betting but that is the case with Flying Private. Flying Private finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes, four lengths behind Rachel Alexandra.

Lukas was pleased with the performance of Flying Private in that race and believes he has an outside chance in Belmont Stakes odds on Saturday. Lukas has won the Belmont four times but has not had a starter since 2005 when his horse A.P. Arrow finished fifth. In addition to having Lukas as his trainer, Flying Private has a pedigree that looks pretty good. He is the son of Fusaichi Pegasus who has sired a total of 37 stakes winners. The owners of Flying Private like to run their horses a lot. Robert Baker and William Mack sent Proud Citizen in all three Triple Crown races in 2002. Flying Private will be listed at double-digit odds on Saturday but Lukas has won with longshots at Belmont before. Commendable was a big betting longshot that had done nothing before winning the Belmont Stakes back in 2000.

Commendable had actually finished out of the money six straight times before winning the Belmont. Mine That Bird was so disrespected that Tom Durkin didn’t even see the horse winning the Kentucky Derby. "The only person more surprised than me winning the Derby seemed to be you," Woolley said to Durkin. Flying Private has not done much in his career (1 win in 12 lifetime starts) but he rarely gets a good trip. He continually gets into trouble. In the Preakness he was right with Mine That Bird but got into trouble again and couldn’t overcome it. "He bumped with Mine That Bird in the stretch," Lukas said. "If not for that, I think he would have finished even better, as would have Mine That Bird." Flying Private should not have the issue of traffic trouble in the Belmont with the long distance and the wide turns. Julien Leparoux gets the mount aboard Flying Private in Belmont Stakes odds as Alan Garcia has moved on to Charitable Man.