Mo Donegal can improve with Belmont distance

Rowan Ward
By , Updated on: Jun 9, 2022 12:00 AM

OSB Belmont Stakes

The 2022 Belmont Stakes, coming up on Saturday, June 11, is the third jewel of the Triple Crown. Run at a mile and a half and drawing the best three-year-old colts in the country, the race offers a $1.5 million purse as well as a place in horse racing history for the winner. Known as the Test of the Champion, the race is one of the best betting races at Belmont Park all year long.

The Belmont Stakes drew a field of eight this year. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will try to prove his victory in Louisville was not a fluke. He will have to face a quality field that includes decisive Peter Pan (G3) winner We the People, smart Wood Memorial (G2) winner Mo Donegal, and Kentucky Oaks (G1) second-place finisher Nest.

Mo Donegal To win the Belmont Stakes
BetUS
+300

Betting the Belmont Stakes is one of the highlights of the year for horseplayers, so read on to find out who to play!

Belmont Morning Line Odds

These are the official entrants for the 2022 Belmont Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds:

  1. We the People (Rodolphe Brisset/Flavien Prat) - 2/1
  2. Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph, Jr./Manuel Franco) - 20/1
  3. Nest (Todd Pletcher/Jose Ortiz) - 8/1
  4. Rich Strike (Eric Reed/Sonny Leon) - 7/2
  5. Creative Minister (Ken McPeek/Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 6/1
  6. Mo Donegal (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 5/2
  7. Golden Glider (Mark Casse/Dylan Davis) - 20/1
  8. Barber Road (John Ortiz/Joel Rosario) - 10/1

The morning lines are the track’s best guess of who will take money at the betting windows. However, you are not guaranteed these odds when you play the race on track, and they are bound to fluctuate until post time.

Your better bet is to play the Belmont Stakes online at an online sportsbook! They let you lock in your odds the moment you bet, meaning you get real Vegas odds and you can lock in the best price when you see it. The current odds at top online sportsbooks are below:

BovadaBetOnlineBetUS
We the People+225+200+275
Mo Donegal+250+250+300
Rich Strike+400+350+475
Creative Minister+650+600+675
Nest+800+800+750
Barber Road+1200+1000+1300

Belmont Stakes Online Betting

Choosing where to bet the Belmont Stakes online can seem difficult, but we can help make it easy! Our expert reviews of the best online sports betting sites give you the trusted information you need from online betting experts. All of our sites offer trusted money management options, great odds, and smooth user interfaces.

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Belmont Handicapping

Now that you know where you can bet the Belmont, let’s learn a little more about handicapping Belmont Park, and about who the contenders are in the Belmont Stakes.

Belmont Park Handicapping Tips

Belmont Park is different from a lot of American tracks. Instead of being a mile or a mile and an eighth around, the dirt at Belmont is a full mile and a half around, meaning jockeys who aren’t accustomed to riding it can sometimes move too early and not conserve enough for the long, sandy stretch.

Many of the jockeys riding in this year’s Belmont Stakes are quite experienced over the course. Belmont’s three leading jockeys this meet all have calls in the race: Dylan Davis rides Golden Glider, Irad Ortiz has Mo Donegal, and Manuel Franco rides Skippylongstocking.

Many people fall into the trap of thinking that a closer will win because the race is longer. However, that proves not to be the case. Horses don’t have to be right on the front end, but to have the best chance of winning the Belmont a horse should be at least tactical enough to stay in touch with the leader through the early and middle stages of the race.

Belmont Stakes Contenders

The likely favorite in the race is We the People, winner of the local prep, the Peter Pan (G3). His early-speed running style helps his case, as he should get a cozy lead, and he is also well proven at Belmont. However, the class on the last couple generations of his dam’s side has come going much shorter, and he is not yet proven against horses of this quality.

This makes Mo Donegal an excellent upset chance. Bred for distance and proven at Belmont, his only real question is pace. However, Irad Ortiz has run good races with him from closer to the early pace, even in stakes company, as in the Remsen (G2) last year. If he can give Mo Donegal a tracking trip, it could be extremely hard to hold him off late in the lane.

Mo Donegal To win the Belmont Stakes
BetUS
+300

Nest also appeals at a value price in the Belmont. Though she has to improve off of her second-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks, she is another who is well bred for the distance of the Belmont. Like her stablemate Mo Donegal, she also has some earlier-career form that puts her closer to the pace than she has been in recent starts. It also helps that her trainer, Todd Pletcher, has won the Belmont with a filly before.

Rich Strike will not be a longshot like he was in the Kentucky Derby, and will probably be pace compromised. It appears he is coming into the race nicely, and his pedigree sparkles for this step up in trip. However, he only appeals for the deepest exotic wagers given the pace scenario.

Belmont Stakes Longshot

As a longer shot to use for exotics in the Belmont, consider Barber Road. He consistently shows up in stakes company even though he has yet to win a stakes. Though he rallied from last to finish sixth in the Kentucky Derby, he has run some good races from closer to the pace, meaning that he can adapt to this slower pace scenario and nab his customary underneath share.

Free Belmont Picks

Here are the best bets for the 2022 Belmont Stakes:

  • $20 to win - #6 Mo Donegal
  • $1 exacta key - #6 Mo Donegal with #1 We the People, #3 Nest
  • $1 trifecta key - #6 Mo Donegal with #1 We the People, #3 Nest, #8 Barber Road
  • 20 cent superfecta key - #6 Mo Donegal with #1 We the People, #3 Nest, #4 Rich Strike, #8 Barber Road
Mo Donegal To win the Belmont Stakes
BetUS
+300

Meet the author

Rowan Ward

Rowan has been a regular at the Chicago tracks for over a decade and has also been to some of the biggest racing events including the Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Woodbine Mile. Since then their writing has appeared in their own blog and across the horse racing in...

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