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 1095 and has been held there ever since save for when it was canceled in 1911 and 1912. 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.

1 1/2 miles 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.

belmont stakes odds

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 wagering

Belmont Stakes Races

There are a total of eight major stakes races on the Belmont Stakes program on June 5. Aside from the Belmont Stakes itself, there are the $1,000,000 Metropolitan Handicap (G1), the $750,000 Manhattan (G1), the $500,000 Just a Game (G1), the $500,000 Ogden Phipps (G1), the $400,000 Jaipur (G1), the $400,000 Woody Stephens (G1), and the $400,000 Brooklyn (G2).

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 Oleksandra, a filly who beat the boys. 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 (G1), 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 star and strong sires like 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. At 1 1/2 miles (twelve furlongs) on the dirt track, the Belmont tests the endurance of even the most formidable racehorses, most of whom cannot rely solely on raw speed to win. The purse of this Grade One race is $1.5 million, with $800,000 going to the winner. This race takes place at Belmont Park. 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.

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 Tuesday, June 6, 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.

BovadaBetOnlineBetUS
MageTBATBATBA
Tapit TriceTBATBATBA
ArcangeloTBATBATBA
Bishops BayTBATBATBA
KingsbarnsTBATBATBA

2023 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

If Kentucky Derby winner Mage wins the Preakness Stakes and still has a chance to be a Triple Crown winner, he will be the favorite in the Belmont. He will have to make sure he breaks well: he has tactical speed, which often wins Belmonts, but needs to make sure he comes away well enough to use it. However, if he can, he has a good chance given his talent, good form, and deep stamina breeding.

Make sure to pay attention to whoever Todd Pletcher sends to the Belmont Stakes. He ran 1-2 last year with Mo Donegal and Nest, and he has a good touch for who can run well in the Belmont. Likely candidates from his barn in 2023 include Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns, both of whom ran in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Tapit Trice is by Tapit, whose progeny have won four Belmonts, while Kingsbarns also has Tapit in his pedigree through his dam. Kingsbarns has tactical speed that could suit him well in the race, while Tapit Trice will have to run on a bit later, though the smaller field in the Belmont compared to the Kentucky Derby could help Tapit Trice get a better trip.

New Belmont Stakes contenders

Often a new contender for the Belmont arises from the Peter Pan Stakes four weeks before the test of the champion. Though winner We the People only finished fourth behind Mo Donegal in the Belmont last year, Peter Pan winners have been strong in the Belmont in years past and it makes sense to look at them seriously.

Archangelo and Bishops Bay ran 1-2 in the Peter Pan in 2023, far clear of the rest of the field, and both could be interesting if they press on to the Belmont. They are both up-and-coming horses with a lot of upside: neither had tried a stakes race before trying the Peter Pan, and both handled the sandy Belmont footing nicely.

Archangelo looks like the stronger of the two, as he was able to outslug Bishops Bay in the lane in the Peter Pan, and he has a more appealing pedigree for the stretch out to the mile and a half.


Belmont Stakes FAQ