How Good Is Tale of Verve?

Posted Under: News by Jim Murphy on 1st June 2015

Trainer Dallas Stewart has been saying all along that his horse Tale of Verve was something special. No one else really paid much attention to his boasts until Tale of Verve finished second to American Pharoah in the Belmont at odds of 28-1. Now, he’s got a lot of interest as a potential ‘upset special’ in the Belmont Stakes.

Tale of Verve looked very impressive on Saturday, working five furlongs in :59.02 with exercise rider Kortez Walker up. That was the best of 23 horses that worked at the distance. Trainer Dallas Stewart was pleased with his effort: “”He galloped out good and came back blowing, which is good, because it means he got something out of it. He came back great and looked awesome.”

Dallas Stewart has the dubious distinction of finishing second in a Triple Crown race for three straight years. He’s looking to move into the winner’s circle at Belmont Park on June 9. Stewart is hoping that Tale of Verve’s strong second place finish in the Preakness–albeit a distant second behind the dominating American Pharoah–wasn’t his best effort: “I hope he has another step forward in him. That’s what we’re here for.”

Despite Stewart’s enthusiasm, the betting public hasn’t ‘bought in’ to Tale of Verve. He’s currently 35-1 in the Wynn Las Vegas futures Belmont Stakes betting. Given his second place finish in the Preakness and the fact that he was priced at 28-1 then it’s something of a surprise that he’s at longer odds heading into the Belmont Stakes. It’s hard to conclude anything other than the betting public is rejecting his Preakness performance as a ‘fluke’.

The horse racing media has pointed out that the 1 1/2 mile Belmont distance is significantly longer than anything Tale of Verve has experienced. That’s true, of course, but that’s true for every horse in the field–including American Pharoah. Stewart likes his chances at the distance: “It’s in his breeding. He’s a big horse and has a great stride, so hopefully it will add up. It’s going to be a matter of stamina and hopefully the best horse will win.”

American Pharoah will try to complete the Triple Crown with a win in the Belmont Stakes. To do so, he’ll have to beat Tale of Verve and eight other challengers.