Known as the Test of the Champion, the Belmont Stakes is the third and final leg of the U.S. Triple Crown. The race is traditionally run at 1 1/2 miles over the dirt at Belmont Park, though with Belmont under construction it will be run at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga Race Course in 2024 and 2025.
The Belmont is open to three-year-old Thoroughbred colts, fillies, and geldings and offers a $2 million purse, newly raised for 2024. Held five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks after the Preakness Stakes, the 2024 Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 8 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
If you want to bet on the Belmont Stakes online, keep reading for odds odds from a range of top-tier American providers below. We’ll include more information on betting on the Belmont Stakes shortly.
Belmont Stakes Horses Odds
You can get Belmont Stakes odds, multiple wagering options, handicapping tips, race results and cashback, first deposit and other bonuses if you open an account and bet the race with one of these online wagering platforms. The Belmont Stakes betting odds were last updated on May 22, 2024:
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|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | TBA | +225 | TBA |
| Fierceness | TBA | +275 | TBA |
| Mindframe | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Mystik Dan | TBA | +1200 | TBA |
| Seize the Grey | TBA | +525 | TBA |
| Thorpedo Anna | TBA | +1100 | TBA |
| Honor Marie | TBA | +1200 | TBA |
Where to Bet on Belmont Stakes Online
Thanks to online wagering, Belmont Stakes betting is easier and more convenient than ever since you can be part of the action from anywhere.
One of the most important decisions that all bettors should make before the Belmont Stakes is where to bet the race online. There are many choices for Belmont Stakes online betting. Our expert reviews make it easier to make a confident, profitable choice. All of our recommended sites offer market-leading odds, trusted deposits and payouts, and great user interfaces.
If you are looking for a Belmont Stakes betting app, many of these sportsbooks also offer convenient betting apps for Android and iPhone. This means you can bet the Belmont Stakes, as well as do sports betting and horse betting all year long, with just a few taps.
These are the best options for betting on the Belmont Stakes online:
Belmont Stakes History and Predictions
From Ruthless to Man o' War to Citation to Secretariat to Seattle Slew through to the latest Triple Crown winner Justify, some of the greatest horses in history have worn the blanket of Belmont Stakes carnations.
When American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes in 2015 to become the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown, it was of the easiest Belmont Stakes predictions to make in years. As shown by his domination in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, American Pharoah was clearly the best of the three-year-old crop in North America that year, and short of suffering some sort of injury, his Belmont win was as close to a sure thing as you'll ever see.
So what about other recent Belmont Stakes winners, and what can we find in their past performances to indicate they were ready to take the win when the gates opened for the Belmont?
Arcangelo Wins in 2023
Arcangelo was an extremely new face to the top level of horse racing when he entered the Belmont Stakes in 2023. It had taken him three tries to break his maiden, something he did over the one-turn dirt mile at Gulfstream Park on March 18. He didn't return to the races until May 13 when trying the Peter Pan (G3), the traditional local prep for the Belmont Stakes. That day, he won by a hard-fought head over Bishops Bay, earning his way into the Belmont field.
That victory over the local Belmont course was a point in his favor, since local form is always a plus. The way he handled stretching out to two turns against stakes horses was a serious positive as well. He also had an exciting pedigree for going even further: the progeny of Arrogate have tended to find their best with more time to grow up and more distance to cover, his damsire is Belmont Stakes super-sire Tapit, and his third dam is none other than Better Than Honour: the dam of Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches.
In the Belmont, Arcangelo used his tactical pace to good effect under jockey Javier Castellano. The Jena Antonucci trainee looked a major threat around the far turn and then drew on his deep stamina down the lane, clearing off through midstretch and holding by 1 1/2 lengths over favored Forte and the also well-fancied Tapit Trice.
Mo Donegal Wins in 2022
Mo Donegal only finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, but that day he was buried on the rail in a full field. He freshened up five weeks after the Derby to be ready for the Belmont, and Todd Pletcher had him well primed. The smaller field of the Belmont Stakes helped him carve out a better trip than he got in the Kentucky Derby. He also had an excellent pedigree for the step up to a mile and a half, being by Uncle Mo out of a Pulpit mare.
Mo Donegal sat in range of the pace; though he was sixth at the first call, he was still only 2 3/4 lengths off the pace being set by We the People at that point. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. kept him in range, made his major move into the lane, and cleared off to win by three lengths over his stablemate Nest, who also had an excellent pedigree for stamina. The field also included Skippylongstocking, Peter Pan winner We the People, and longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike.
Essential Quality wins in 2021
Tapit sons have won four editions of the Belmont Stakes to date, with Essential Quality being his most recent Belmont winner. Though he was defeated for the first time ever in the Kentucky Derby, he was only beaten a length for top honors. Being by Tapit out of an Elusive Quality mare from a deep Godolphin family, he had the pedigree to be an interesting candidate for the stretch out. And, being trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Luis Saez, his connections were well proven in big races.
He was more of a late-running sort than usually wins the Belmont. However, his consistency and his ability to take his form to tracks across the country helped him out. Essential Quality made an early bid, approaching the half-mile pole, and outclassed Hot Rod Charlie down the lane to win by a length and a half.
Tapwrit Wins in 2017
After reeling off three wins in four starts - including the (G2) Tampa Bay Derby by more than four lengths, Tapwrit's form appeared to fall off for his next two starts. He ran very poorly to finish fifth in the (G2) Blue Grass Stakes, and then, like several others, had a tough trip on the sloppy Churchill Downs track to run sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
However, unlike several others, despite starting far back and having to get through trouble, he was one of few horses in the 2017 Derby to make steady forward progress throughout the race, suggesting he ran much better than the final result would indicate.
He then skipped the Preakness and came back fresh for the Belmont. His pedigree suggested he would have no problem getting the 1 1/2 mile distance, and jockey Jose Ortiz gave him an excellent ride, tracking off the leaders through the early part of the race and keeping plenty in reserve to surge to the front as they came down the long Belmont final stretch.
It was the third Belmont Stakes win in four years for a colt sired by Tapit, and in a race where being able to handle the long distance is always a question mark for most horses, pedigree proved to be a key handicapping angle.
Creator Wins in 2016
Creator had taken a shot in the Kentucky Derby and only managed to run 13th. He was in close quarters out of the gate, settled off the pace near the back of the packn and started to make his run as they came off the last turn.
He was bumped hard by another horse, almost had to come to a complete stop, but somehow managed to get going again. That's a race, that as a handicapper, you can toss out, simply because he didn't get a fair shot at the leaders in the stretch.
Looking at his win prior to the Kentucky Derby in the Arkansas Derby, we find that he also ran near the back of the pack early and made his run going into the stretch. In a race that was slowing with every quarter mile, he ran the last 1/8 to the wire faster than the leader had run any eighth of a mile. This indicates that Creator starts very slowly and picks up speed as the race goes on, so it's not surprising that he was able to get up in time to beat the front-running horse as they went through the stretch.
Tonalist Wins in 2014
The 2014 winner, Tonalist, is a different story. He was a fairly fresh horse, having not run in either of the previous Triple Crown races, and prepped for the Belmont by running - and winning - the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.
An excellent "stalking" horse, he was able to get into the position he wanted early in the race, took over the lead a half-mile in and slowly edged away from the pack.
The fact the race was held at Belmont is significant as it showed he could handle the track (in fact, five of his six lifetime graded-stakes wins have now come at Belmont), and his running style is historically the perfect fit for winning the Belmont, as most winners (with Creator being an exception) don't usually come from way back to win.
Belmont Stakes Contenders for 2024
The Belmont Stakes draw happens Sunday, June 2. On that day the post time, post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds will be determined. Even before that date, though, you can get a head start on betting the Belmont Stakes by following the news and watching the field come together.
These are horses to keep your eye on as the Belmont Stakes field solidifies.
Horses from the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes
The likely favorite in the 2024 Belmont Stakes comes from the Kentucky Derby but didn't win it: Sierra Leone is the early favorite in sportsbooks despite missing by a nose in the Run for the Roses. He makes sense. He has never run a bad race, and would be perfect if not for a pair of nose losses. He can find a late run whether the pace is pedestrian or cracking, he can make a relatively early run and find the stamina to keep on rallying, and he handled the 1 1/4-mile distance well in the Kentucky Derby.
Both previous Classic winners are expected to line up for the Belmont Stakes: Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey. Though Seize the Grey got the best of Mystik Dan at Pimlico Race Course, Seize the Grey had an advantage as the comfortable speed over a sloppy track. The pace scenario is likely to be different in the Belmont, with some horses who are probably fast enough to make a race of it up front with the Belmont Stakes winner.
Fierceness is also expected to take betting action in the Belmont Stakes. The beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby – in fact, the first favorite of the points era to finish outside the superfecta – he is brilliant on his best but disappointing if things go wrong. Taking a short price on him tends to be an underlay because of that inconsistency, but he is trained by Todd Pletcher, who is a four-time winner of the Belmont Stakes.
New Horses in the Belmont Stakes
Thorpedo Anna is expected to follow up her Kentucky Oaks win with a tilt against males in the Belmont Stakes. Her trainer has beaten the boys in a Triple Crown race before: Kenny McPeek trained Swiss Skydiver, who followed up a second in the Kentucky Oaks with a victory over Kentucky Derby winner Authentic in the Preakness Stakes. She is coming into her best and can run well at different tracks, meaning she could make an impact in the Belmont.
Another interesting horse, if trainer Todd Pletcher decides to send him to the Belmont, is Mindframe. He has yet to face stakes company, but he has won in blowout fashion in both his career starts. That includes a 13 3/4-length romp in a maiden special weight on the Florida Derby undercard, as well as a 7 1/2-length triumph in an allowance race on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Belmont Stakes Betting Options
If you bet the Belmont Stakes online at a major sportsbook, you will be able to play the same kinds of bets that you can put on horse races all year long.
If your strongest opinion on the Belmont is who will win the race, then your best option could be a win bet, place bet, or show bet. Those are classics for a reason; if your pick runs well, you cash. You can also go for huge scores by playing exotics. They are harder to hit, but they can also cash for a life-changing amount.
Consider betting exactas, trifectas, or superfectas if your strongest opinions are on horses who can run well in the Belmont. If you pick the first two, three, or four horses across the wire correctly, you win. Alternately, if you have opinions on races before or after the Belmont Stakes, your best bet might be a Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6. In these bets, you win if you pick the winners of consecutive races.
By betting the Belmont Stakes online at a trusted sportsbook, you can also get the opportunity to play prop bets. Those include things like head-to-head matchups or the time of the race. You won't find these at the racetrack or an off-track betting parlor, which is another reason that playing the Belmont Stakes online is your best bet.
