Belmont Stakes 2023: National Treasure can go wire to wire

The final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, happens Saturday, June 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York! The best three-year-old in the country will face the Test of the Champion: a 1 Β½ mile trip around the sweeping, sandy dirt course. The purse is $1.5 million, and big money is available to players who bet the Belmont Stakes as well!

Forte, scratched from the Kentucky Derby on race day, has been working regularly and will be back in action for the Belmont Stakes. With a field including Kentucky Derby runners Angel of Empire and Tapit Trice, Preakness winner National Treasure, and Peter Pan (G3) winner Arcangelo, the race will be the classiest showdown of the Triple Crown!

National Treasureto Win the Belmont Stakes
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+600
Bet now

Keep reading to find out who can win, and where the best places are to bet the race!

Where to Bet the Belmont

Before you bet a single dollar, make sure you know where to bet the Belmont Stakes online. There are many choices of sportsbooks online, so it can feel difficult to pick the right one. Fortunately, we have trusted racebook reviews to help you make a quick, confident choice!

All of our recommended sportsbooks have great odds, trusted payouts, and smooth user interfaces. Each site also offers a different bonus structure. Those bonuses include deposit and sign-up bonuses, referral benefits, and even horse racing rebates. Taking a few minutes now to pick the best one for your betting style can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars for your bankroll!

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Belmont Stakes Horses and Odds

These are the official entrants for the 2023 Belmont Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds:

  1. Tapit Shoes (Brad Cox/Jose Ortiz) – 20/1
  2. Tapit Trice (Todd Pletcher/Luis Saez) – 3/1
  3. Arcangelo (Jena Antonucci/Javier Castellano) – 8/1
  4. National Treasure (Bob Baffert/John Velazquez) – 5/1
  5. Il Miracolo (Antonio Sano/Marcos Meneses) – 30/1
  6. Forte (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz) – 5/2
  7. Hit Show (Brad Cox/Manuel Franco) – 10/1
  8. Angel of Empire (Brad Cox/Flavien Prat) – 7/2
  9. Red Route One (Steve Asmussen/Joel Rosario) – 15/1

Keep in mind that the morning line is just the racetrack’s best estimate for the post time odds. Your best bet is to play the Belmont online, since online racebooks offer fixed-odds wagering on many of the biggest races around the world. That way, you can lock in the best odds on your Belmont pick the moment you bet!

These are the odds on the 2023 Belmont Stakes contenders at the best online betting sites:

BovadaBetOnline ReviewBetUS Review
Forte+200+250+190
Angel of Empire+350+350+350
Tapit Trice+400+300+350
National Treasure+600+500+600
Arcangelo+600+800+1400
Hit Show+1000+1000+1200

Free Belmont Picks

The Belmont Stakes can be the most difficult to handicap of any of the Triple Crown races. The track has a unique, sandy surface with a 1 Β½-mile circumference and sweeping turns. With that, jockeys and horses who have form over the course are at an advantage. The 1 Β½-mile distance of the race, also, makes both fitness and long-distance pedigree important considerations.

Belmont Stakes Contenders

National Treasure is the most likely winner of the Belmont Stakes. He won the Preakness on the front end, and stands to get a very similar trip in the Belmont Stakes. Though Il Miracolo may bother him for a while, National Treasure is classy enough to shake him off and keep going…or perhaps fast enough to just clear quickly and lead a merry chase.

National Treasureto Win the Belmont Stakes
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
+600
Bet now

Forte is the more attractive of the Todd Pletcher pair. Though Tapit Trice has a solid Belmont pedigree, the inside gate hurts him and he did not finish the Kentucky Derby as strongly as that pedigree suggested he should. Forte missed the Derby, but has worked well twice since, can sit tactically closer, and keeps big-race jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons.

Angel of Empire also deserves a look for underneath slots in the Belmont. He finished with good interest to be third in the Kentucky Derby, and has shown a nice trajectory of improvement as races have gotten longer. He can get a clean trip from the near-outside post, and the Arkansas Derby in particular suggests that he does not need to be hopelessly far back.

Belmont Stakes Longshots

The most interesting price horse in the Belmont Stakes field is Arcangelo. He has tactical speed, meaning he should be able to track in close range of National Treasure from the outset without leaving himself too much to do. He has not faced horses as classy as the ones he faces in the Belmont Stakes, but the pace setup and the fact that he has won at Belmont before help him.

He also has the best Belmont pedigree in the field. His sire Arrogate’s progeny have gotten better with extended distances. Furthermore, his dam’s side is as good as you’ll see for this race: a Tapit mare from the direct female family of Better than Honour, the dam of Belmont winners Jazil and Rags to Riches.

Another longer shot to consider in deeper exotics is Tapit Shoes. He has a lot of class to prove, as he is trying graded company for the first time. But, he has tactical speed and should get a jump on the closers in the field. The switch to jockey Jose Ortiz is also a good sign, as Ortiz has a lot of experience riding the Belmont course.

Belmont Free Picks

You have made your betting account and gotten to know the field. Now, all you need to do is the fun part: making your wagers! Here are the best bets for the 2023 Belmont Stakes!

  • $20 to win – #4 National Treasure
  • $1 exacta key – #4 National Treasure with #3 Arcangelo, #6 Forte
  • $1 trifecta key – #4 National Treasure with #3 Arcangelo, #6 Forte, #8 Angel of Empire
  • 20 cent superfecta key – #4 National Treasure with #1 Tapit Shoes, #3 Arcangelo, #6 Forte, #8 Angel of Empire
National Treasureto Win the Belmont Stakes
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
+600
Bet now
Rowan Ward

Rowan is a seasoned veteran of the horse racing industry. She has dedicated nearly two decades of her life to this area. From starting as a groom and progressing to become a horse owner, her journey has taken her through various roles in marketing and media. Along the way, she honed her handicapping skills while working in horse racing broadcasting in both the United States and Canada. In her spare time, Rowan enjoys books and cares for an array of farm animals, including sheep, goats, ducks, and chickens.