The Triple Crown draws to its exciting conclusion Saturday, June 7 in the Belmont Stakes! With its usual home of Belmont Park under construction still, it will be run one more time at 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga Race Course. It is the same distance as the Kentucky Derby five weeks before – and the same course and distance as another top three-year-old races, the Travers.
The race drew eight top three-year-olds to run for a $2 million purse, including the first three across the wire in the Kentucky Derby: Sovereignty, Preakness winner Journalism, and Baeza. With such a classy and exciting field, betting on the Belmont Stakes is something you just can’t miss.
Keep reading to find out the best bets and long shots for the race, as well as the best online betting sites for placing your wagers online!
2025 Belmont Stakes Contenders
These are the contenders for the 2025 Belmont Stakes including their trainers, jockeys, post positions, and morning lines:
- Hill Road (Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 10/1
- Sovereignty (Bill Mott/Junior Alvarado) - 2/1
- Rodriguez (Bob Baffert/Mike Smith) - 6/1
- Uncaged (Todd Pletcher/Luis Saez) - 30/1
- Crudo (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) - 15/1
- Baeza (John Shirreffs/Flavien Prat) - 4/1
- Journalism (Michael McCarthy/Umberto Rispoli) - 8/5
- Heart of Honor (Jamie Osborne/Saffie Osboren) - 30/1
Keep in mind that the morning line, while it can be a useful guide to horses expected to take money or not, is not a guarantee of prices on track. Instead, those prices can shift all the way until post time.
Fortunately, there is a better way. Online betting sites offer fixed-odds wagering on major races like the Belmont Stakes. This helps you maximize your profits because you can lock in your odds just by placing a bet. Instead of being vulnerable to late shifts, you can be confident in exactly what you’ll win when your horse crosses the wire first.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journalism | +160 | +175 | TBA |
| Sovereignty | +200 | +200 | TBA |
| Baeza | +450 | +425 | TBA |
| Rodriguez | +500 | +525 | TBA |
| Hill Road | +1000 | +1200 | TBA |
Betting the Belmont Stakes Online
There are many choices for where to bet online, and making the decision can seem difficult because of that volume. Our expert betting site reviews will help you make sense of those options quickly and easily.
All of our recommended sites have the basics: trusted payouts and deposits, great user interfaces, and market-leading odds. Each site also offers online betting bonuses like deposit and sign-up bonuses, referral incentives, and even rebates that pay you for every bet you make. Selecting the right one for your betting style can boost your bankroll by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
These are the best places to bet the Belmont Stakes online!
Belmont Stakes Handicapping
With your online betting account at the ready, it is time to get to know the key betting horses for the Belmont Stakes:
Belmont Stakes Favorites
The Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and the Preakness winner Journalism will be the top two in the market for the Belmont, and both have good chances in the race. They have shown their ability to handle the Classic distance, and with rain in the forecast, their good outings in a sloppy Kentucky Derby make that no worry at all.
Between the two Sovereignty appeals more because of the extra rest he has gotten – five weeks since the Kentucky Derby, as opposed to just three since the Preakness for Journalism. Furthermore, even though Journalism got first run in the Derby, Sovereignty was right behind and finished better in the end. Even so, both horses are classy, consistent, and adaptable enough to work a trip.
Belmont Stakes Best Bet
Baeza is the best bet in the Belmont Stakes. He has tables to turn on both Sovereignty and Journalism, as he was third in the Kentucky Derby behind those two. However, he is lightly-enough raced to keep moving forward – and the Kentucky Derby was just Baeza’s second try in stakes company at all.
Furthermore, Baeza gets a much better post this time. In the Kentucky Derby, Baeza had to break from the 19 hole after drawing in from the also-eligible list. This time, he gets a nice middle post in a smaller field. In the Kentucky Derby, he had to deal with a snarl of traffic around the far turn, something that is less likely to happen in this shorter field – and even if it does, he handled it well enough in Kentucky to know there’s some tenacity there.
Belmont Stakes Price Horse
Among the price horses in the Belmont, Crudo has the most going for him. He cedes experience to his foes, with only three starts. But, in both his maiden win and a victory in the Sir Barton on the Preakness undercard, he showed excellent speed – speed that could be enough to overtake Rodriguez early, especially drawn outside that foe.
Furthermore, unlike Rodriguez, Crudo has more upside to show that he might not be just one-way speed. Rodriguez has shown in stakes races and in two-turn races that he isn’t the same without the lead. Crudo’s only loss came in a sprint debut after a poor start. With more experience, and stretched out to a two-turn distance, there is possibility for him to show another dimension at a big price.
Belmont Stakes Best Bets
You’ve done all the preparation you need for betting the Belmont. You have made your account at the best online betting site for you, and you’ve gotten to know the horses. Now it is time for the best part of all: placing your bet for the Belmont Stakes.
These are your expert wagers for the test of the champion:
- $20 to win - #6 Baeza
- $1 exacta key - #6 Baeza over #2 Sovereignty, #5 Crudo, and #7 Journalism
- $1 trifecta key - #6 Baeza with #2 Sovereignty, #5 Crudo, and #7 Journalism
