The Belmont Stakes is coming up on Saturday, June 11. Betting the Belmont Stakes is one of the most exciting opportunities of the year: the race drew a field of eight classy horses, and the 1 ½ mile distance means it is a handicapping puzzle unlike any other during the Triple Crown. This is the place for expert picks and betting advice!
The Belmont Stakes offers a purse of $1.5 million, an iconic blanket of carnations, and a place in horse racing history. The race is scheduled for 6.44pm EDT, or 3:44pm PDT.
Belmont Post Positions
These are the official entrants for the 2022 Belmont Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds:
We the People (Rodolphe Brisset/Flavien Prat) – 2/1
Creative Minister (Ken McPeek/Brian Hernandez, Jr.) – 6/1
Mo Donegal (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) – 5/2
Golden Glider (Mark Casse/Dyland Davis) – 20/1
Barber Road (John Ortiz/Joel Rosario) – 10/1
Keep in mind that the morning line is just the racetrack’s guess for what the tote board will look like come post time and not the actual horse racing betting odds that you will get. On the track, the odds will fluctuate until post time and you will not get the opportunity to lock in a price.
Your best bet is to bet the Belmont Stakes online from a trusted online sportsbook. Online racebooks offer real Vegas odds, and they allow you to lock in real Vegas odds at the moment you make your wager. These are the current Belmont odds at the top betting sites:
You used to have to go to Las Vegas to get the best price on the Belmont Stakes and other races all year long. However, online sportsbooks give you real Vegas odds from anywhere! If you have an internet connection, you can bet the races from your phone, tablet, or computer and be sure you have the best odds.
Though there are many options, our expert review can help you find the best online betting site quickly and easily. All of our recommended sites offer real Vegas odds, trusted deposit and cash out features, and great user interfaces. Different sites offer incentives that suit different betting sites, so let our experts help you find the ones that will give you the most profit for your betting dollars all year long!
Belmont Handicapping
The Belmont Stakes is a handicapping puzzle unlike any other. Keep in mind that Belmont is a unique track with its 1 ½-mile oval; jockeys who have experience riding there tend to do better. Distance pedigree also matters since most horses are not bred to go 12 furlongs, and pace matters since tactical speed tends to play well in the Belmont.
Belmont Contenders
The best bet in the Belmont Stakes is Mo Donegal. He is already proven over the Belmont course, and his breeding appeals more than most for the 12-furlong distance. Though his more recent races have had him coming from far off the pace, earlier races (including a stakes win in the Remsen) had him closer to the early pace. Thus, he and strong local rider Irad Ortiz should adapt well to the slower pace than there was in the Derby.
That pace in the Belmont should be set by We the People. The last-out winner of the Peter Pan (G3), the local prep for the Belmont, We the People is the only Belmont runner who typically makes the early lead. However, his pedigree is a mixed bag for the distance, with so many close female relatives preferring to go shorter. This means a stouter horse with some tactical speed could catch him late.
Nest, Mo Donegal’s stablemate in the Todd Pletcher barn, has a lot of upside in the Belmont. Though she must improve off of a second-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks, she has an excellent long-distance pedigree and some earlier races that have her close to the early pace. It is also appealing that Pletcher has already won a Belmont with a filly.
Rich Strike, the surprise winner of the Kentucky Derby, got a dream pace setup that day. He will get the complete opposite setup in the Belmont Stakes, meaning it is hard to support him to win, especially at the short price. He is coming into the race well and he has a strong distance pedigree, though, meaning he could get into the lowest rungs of exotics.
Belmont Longshot
Barber Road, though not yet a stakes winner, is one of the most consistent horses of his class. He closed from far off the pace to run sixth in the Kentucky Derby, but earlier races prove he can run into the money from closer to the pace, meaning he should be able to work a trip and capture a minor award even in this race that will set up completely differently from the Run for the Roses.
2022 Belmont Expert Picks
Here are your 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
For 10 years, Rowan Ward has been handicapping and betting horses in Chicago. For almost as long, they has also been writing about horse racing. They are aware that the best handicapping approaches for a given race rely on a variety of variables, but they frequently discover that the proverb "the pace makes the race" can yield profitable betting opportunities. Local Chicago races, national stakes races, and two-year-old maiden races with intriguing pedigrees are some of their favorite events to handicap.