Belmont Stakes Betting Advice
The Belmont Stakes was inaugurated in 1868 and held at the now-defunct Jerome Park. The race moved to Belmont Park in 1895 and has been held there every year between then and 2023 for when it was canceled in 1911 and 1912. The Belmont will be held at Saratoga Race Course in 2024 and 2025, before returning to the newly remodeled Belmont Park in 2026.
It is famous not only the Test of the Champion with its long-distance and extra-long stretch drive but also as the final leg of the Triple Crown. The traditional 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont is a distance very few American horses run unless they are making their careers on grass, and seldom as a three-year-old. That is why winning the Belmont is so difficult, especially after running in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in the last five weeks.
There have been 13 Triple Crown winners to date: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018). Trainer Bob Baffert won the last two Triple Crowns.
The 1920 Belmont Stakes was won by the mighty Man o’ War, considered by some to still be the greatest racehorse of all time. He took the race by 20 lengths and set a new track record.
More recently, the filly Rags to Riches won over future superstar racehorse and stallion Curlin in 2007. She was the third and most recent filly to win after Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. Trainer Bob Baffert brought Triple Crown prospects Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and War Emblem in with a chance to win the Triple in 1997, 1998, and 2002, but all three horses just missed in their bids. Since then, Baffert has won the Triple Crown twice.
Other horses who got close to winning the Triple Crown but fell short include Funny Cide (2003), who lost to Empire Maker, Smarty Jones (2004), who lost to Birdstone, and Big Brown (2008), who lost to Da’Tara. I’ll Have Another had a chance to win it in 2012 but was scratched the morning before the race.
Blowout wins of late have included Point Given by 12 1/4 lengths in 2001, and Afleet Alex by seven lengths in 2005. Both of them had won the Preakness impressively, with Point Given finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby and Afleet Alex third.
The trainer with the most wins in James Rowe, Sr. Jim McLaughlin, and Eddie Arcaro each have six wins as jockeys. The record for the race is still Secretariat’s 2:24 flat.
The winner of the Belmont is draped in carnations, and the pre-race song is Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York,” which is popular for the crowd to sing before the horses go to the gate.
Belmont Stakes Races
There are a total of eight major stakes races on the Belmont Stakes program on June 8. Aside from the Belmont Stakes itself, there are the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (G1), the $1 million Manhattan (G1), the $500,000 Ogden Phipps (G1), the $500,000 Jaipur (G1), the $500,000 Woody Stephens (G1), the $350,000 True North (G2), the $350,000 Suburban (G2), and the $350,000 Poker (G3).
The Woody Stephens has produced many future top sires, such as Munnings in 2009 and Bayern in 2014. The latter went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) over Shared Belief and California Chrome.
The Jaipur was won last year by Caravel, a filly who defeated males. She had won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) against males the year before as a massive longshot, and proved in the Jaipur that she was no fluke. One of the most important turf sprint races of the year, the Jaipur offers its winner a free berth into the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, as part of the Win and You’re In program.
The Ogden Phipps is another Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In race, offering its winner a place in the Breeder’s Cup Distaff (G1). Recent stars who have won the Ogden Phipps include Midnight Bisou, Songbird, Close Hatches, and Ashado.
The winner of the Metropolitan Handicap colloquially called the Met Mile, wins a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). The Met Mile is also known as a sire-making race, and its winners in recent years have included stars like Cody’s Wish, Frosted, Palace Malice, Quality Road, and Ghostzapper.
The Belmont Stakes is the final leg of the Triple Crown and the resting place of attempts to capture all three of these prestigious events. As a result, the Belmont has earned the nickname “The Test of the Champion”, as the entire field gets a final chance to deny the crown to winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. In fact, a total of 23 have won the first two legs of the triple crown before faltering at the Belmont.
Part of the difficulty is the length of this race. Its traditional distance of 1 1/2 miles (twelve furlongs) on the dirt track tests the endurance of even the most formidable racehorses, most of whom cannot rely solely on raw speed to win. Even the shorter 1 1/4-mile distance in 2024 and 2025 is no easy task.
The Belmont Stakes purse has been raised to $2 million as of 2024, with a cool $1.2 million going to the winner. The race happens five weeks after the Kentucky Derby, and is open to three-year-old colts, fillies, and geldings.
Similar to the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes race is a historic event that started during the 19th century. Since its inception in 1867, this competition has taken place every year with the exception of 1911 and 1912 when the state of New York briefly banned gambling activities such as horse racing. All-time greats like Ruthless, Man o' War, Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and American Pharoah have won the race: keep reading to find out who may be next on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
Belmont Stakes Betting Sites
Placing a smart wager on your favorite to win makes the Belmont Stakes that much more exciting, especially when a Triple Crown favorite attempts to sweep the final leg. Plenty of racebooks provide smooth gambling services that make it easy to enjoy playing the race. Playing online is more convenient than playing at the racetrack, too, since you can do it from anywhere with an internet connection.
Check to see what sort of deposit bonuses, betting bonuses, wagering rebates, and other lucrative promos that these companies offer. Signing up with the racebook that works best for you can increase the odds of taking home a nice payday.
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Belmont Stakes Winners
Considering the number of horses who have won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, it's always a risky proposition to bet on a horse to complete the feat at the Belmont Stakes. 2014 provided a fine example of this axiom, as heavy 3-5 favorite California Chrome faded to finish fourth behind Tonalist at 8-1 and Commissioner and Medal Count at 20-1.
American Pharoah proved the exception to the rule, completing his sweep of the Triple Crown in 2015, becoming the first since Affirmed in 1978 to do so. Justify followed suit in 2018, running to favoritism to clinch the Triple Crown.
Only nine foreign horses have won the Belmont Stakes, with Canadian thoroughbred Victory Gallop becoming the last non-U.S. winner in 1998. Filly winners are also rare at the Belmont. In 2007, Rags to Riches became the first filly to win in over a century, the previous being Tanya in 1905.
Secretariat, king of Triple Crown races, holds the speed record for all three events. In 1973, he flew across the finish line 31 lengths ahead of the competition, finishing with a time of 2:24.00. The next fastest time belongs to Easy Goer, who finished a full two seconds behind Secretariat in 1989.
Belmont Stakes Odds
The Belmont Stakes betting odds will take clearer shape closer to the race, as the field is finalized. On Sunday, June 2, the field will be drawn and the track will publish post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds. You are not guaranteed these odds at the track, though they can be interesting guides to which horses are expected to take money and which are expected to go ignored in the wagering.
Odds at the track will not be final until post time. Your Belmont Stakes best bet is to play the race at an online sportsbook. They offer fixed-odds wagering on major races, so you can lock in the best price on a Belmont Stakes contender without having to weather a late price drop closer to post time.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | +175 | +180 | +180 |
| Mindframe | +250 | +350 | +325 |
| Seize the Grey | +500 | +800 | +750 |
| Mystik Dan | +650 | +500 | +750 |
| Resilience | +1000 | +1000 | +1100 |
2025 Belmont Stakes Betting Picks
The field for the Belmont Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday, June 6. Until then, you can get a leg up on other Belmont bettors and perhaps even find a live longshot by keeping track of the contenders. Some of the major Belmont Stakes contenders will have run in the other Triple Crown races, while others rise to prominence through other races and try to take the spotlight in the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes horses
Both winners of the previous Triple Crown races are expected to run in the Belmont Stakes: Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey. Seize the Grey got the best of Mystik Dan in the Preakness after bouncing out to a comfortable lead in the slop. However, with more pace possible in the Belmont Stakes there is a solid chance that the come-from-behind Mystik Dan can turn the tables.
The likely favorite in the Belmont Stakes is Sierra Leone, the horse who finished second in the Kentucky Derby. He is two noses away from career perfection, including that narrow second to Mystik Dan in the Run for the Roses. He is a late runner, so every bit of early pace helps, but he has fired with a run in every single start so far and he proved in the Kentucky Derby that he has true ten-furlong stamina.
Beaten Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness will try to redeem himself in the Belmont Stakes as well. Trained by four-time Belmont winner Todd Pletcher, Fierceness is brilliant on his best, but has a tendency to fold if things do not quite go his way. So, the start will be crucial, and a clean trip will prove critical.
New Belmont Stakes contenders
New faces have done well in recent editions of the Belmont, such as 2023 winner Arcangelo and 2019 winner Sir Winston. At the top of the list of new faces is Thorpedo Anna, the Kentucky Oaks winner. She is trained by Kenny McPeek, a conditioner who has experience getting a filly to beat males in a Classic. He did just that with Swiss Skydiver, a second-place finisher in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks who came back to deny Kentucky Derby winner Authentic in the Preakness. Thorpedo Anna is showing improving form into the Belmont, and if she holds it she can be a threat against the boys.
Another interesting new face, should trainer Todd Pletcher decide to send him to the Belmont, is Mindframe. Mindframe has yet to face stakes company, but he has gotten his way with his foes in both starts so far. On debut, he came from off the pace to win a maiden special weight on the Florida Derby undercard in blowout fashion, by 13 3/4 lengths. Next out, in a Kentucky Derby-day allowance at Churchill Downs, he got the lead and romped by 7 1/2 lengths. Experience is the question, but he has a nice stamina pedigree and his first two starts show enough promise to make him an interesting prospect should he show up in the Belmont.
