The third and final jewel of the Triple Crown, the 2024 Belmont Stakes, happens on Saturday, June 8. Due to construction at Belmont Park it is taking a two-year hiatus away from its traditional home. However, it will still be in New York: the race will cover 1 ¼ miles on the dirt at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York.
Even though the distance will be slightly shorter than the traditional 1 ½ miles due to the configuration of the track at Saratoga, the race will still bring in the best in the three-year-old class, including Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness winner Seize the Grey. It’s no wonder the best are coming: they will compete for a $2 million purse, raised $500,000 over last year’s.
It’s a great race for anyone who enjoys betting horse races, too. The 1 ¼-mile distance is still a significant test of stamina, making handicapping the race an interesting mix of both talent and pedigree. Anyone who gets the handicapping puzzle right will be paid handsomely!
Keep reading to find out the best horses to play in the race, and the best places for betting the Belmont Stakes online!
Belmont Morning Line Odds
These are the official entrants for the 2024 Belmont Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds:
- Seize the Grey (D. Wayne Lukas/Jaime Torres) - 8/1
- Resilience (Bill Mott/Junior Alvarado) - 10/1
- Mystik Dan (Kenny McPeek/Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 5/1
- The Wine Steward (Mike Maker/Manny Franco) - 15/1
- Antiquarian (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) - 12/1
- Dornoch (Danny Gargan/Luis Saez) - 15/1
- Protective (Todd Pletcher/Tyler Gaffalione) - 20/1
- Honor Marie (Whit Beckman/Florent Geroux) - 12/1
- Sierra Leone (Chad Brown/Flavien Prat) - 9/5
- Mindframe (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 7/2
Remember that if you bet on-site at the racetrack or an OTB, you are not guaranteed the morning line: it is just the track’s best estimate for post time prices. The odds will change all the way until the gates spring open.
You have a better option: the best bet is to play the Belmont Stakes online. Online sportsbooks let you bet fixed odds wagering on major horse races like the Belmont Stakes from anywhere. That way, you can lock in the best prices on your Belmont Stakes pick, and be confident that you know what you’ll collect when your horse wins.
The odds for major Belmont Stakes contenders at top online sportsbooks are below:
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Belmont Stakes Online Betting
Putting a few minutes of thought now into where to bet the Belmont Stakes online will help you maximize your profits on race day and all year long. There are many options for horse racing and sports betting online, but our expert reviews of the best online sports betting sites will make your decision easy.
Every site our experts recommend has the basics: market-leading odds, trusted payouts, and great user interfaces. Our reviews also help you make sense of the deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and horse racing rebates that can help you supercharge your bankroll on Belmont day, and all year long!
These are the best sites for betting the Belmont Stakes online:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | +175 | +180 | +180 |
| Mindframe | +250 | +350 | +325 |
| Seize the Grey | +500 | +800 | +750 |
| Mystik Dan | +650 | +500 | +750 |
| Resilience | +1000 | +1000 | +1100 |
Belmont Handicapping
With your betting account all set up, you can now get ready to handicap the Belmont Stakes.
Belmont Stakes Handicapping Tips
The Belmont is different this year: instead of being run at 1 ½ miles over the Belmont Park dirt, it will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the dirt at Saratoga in 2024 and 2025 due to construction at Belmont Park.
Despite the shorter distance, it is still good to look for horses who have stamina. The Kentucky Derby can shed some light on whether some horses want the distance or not, since the Kentucky Derby is run over the same distance as the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. However, that still means many horses in the field have yet to try the distance. So, pedigree matters.
The Belmont will also be a different race in the sense that the field will be about half the size of the Kentucky Derby. Just like in most 1 ¼-mile races, tactical speed can be an extremely useful running style. A closer isn’t completely shut out, especially if the race has a lot of speed or if a horse has been able to close into a modest pace before. But, make sure they can get a trip, and stay the distance.
Belmont Stakes Best Bet
Mystik Dan is the best bet in the Belmont Stakes. Though he has tables to turn on Preakness winner Seize the Grey, the pace is different in the Belmont. With Dornoch, The Wine Steward, and even Mindframe likely to make the front end faster, Seize the Grey won’t be able to lope along as easily as he did in Baltimore.
It also means Mystik Dan gets a perfect setup. He can tuck in midpack along the inside thanks to his relatively-inside draw, make his trademark run under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr., and then be in a good place to hold off true closers like favored Sierra Leone. The possibility of rain in the forecast is no problem, either, since both of his off-track races have been good.
Belmont Stakes Contenders
Sierra Leone is the favorite, and for understandable reason. He is two noses from being perfect: he missed to Dornoch in the Remsen (G2) last year and then to Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby last out. He is the kind of horse who can make a big move around the far turn and just keep on coming, and that stamina should serve him well in this 1 ¼-mile race.
Resilience didn’t have his optimal trip in the Kentucky Derby after drawing so wide, but had a better gate for the Belmont Stakes. In the Wood (G2) two back, he was able to work a stalking trip from the fence in a bigger field than this, suggesting he should be able to get a solid trip again. Especially if Saratoga does end up playing decently for forwardly placed horses, he can get a well-timed run on the ones actually fighting on the pace.
Honor Marie had trouble in the Derby but conditions are good for him to bounce back, assuming the track at Saratoga is playing in any way fair. He is well bred for this distance, but early trouble and a questionably timed move in the Run for the Roses got in the way of him showing it. A switch to jockey Florent Geroux, who has more experience than previous rider Ben Curtis in major American dirt races, may be key.
Belmont Stakes Longshot
Even though Protective is still a maiden, he has two races of stakes experience – two more than his short-priced stablemate Mindframe. Protective was able to rally from well off the pace to get third in the Wood after early trouble, suggesting that despite his maiden status he can handle some trouble, but also chased on for a piece in the Wood. His pedigree suggests he can move forward with distance and experience, making him an interesting exotics bomber.
Free Belmont Picks
These are the best bets for the 2024 Belmont Stakes:
- $20 to win - #3 Mystik Dan
- $1 exacta key - #3 Mystik Dan with #2 Resilience, #8 Honor Marie, #9 Sierra Leone
- $1 trifecta key - #3 Mystik Dan with #2 Resilience, #7 Protective, #8 Honor Marie, #9 Sierra Leone
- 20 cent superfecta key - #3 Mystik Dan with #2 Resilience, #7 Protective, #8 Honor Marie, #9 Sierra Leone
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