Rowan Ward
The Triple Crown draws to a close on Saturday, June 11 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is time to get ready to bet the Belmont Stakes! Eight of the best three-year-olds in the country will face the Test of the Champion: 1 1/2 miles around Belmont’s sweeping, deep dirt course. The winner gets the best portion of a $1.5 million purse and a place in horse racing immortality.
Rich Strike, the 80-1 winner of the Kentucky Derby, will try to prove that victory was not a fluke. Mo Donegal, fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is well proven in New York and may be his toughest competitor. We the People, a later-blooming type, won the local prep in the Peter Pan and might benefit from a pace perspective.
Will any of these top contenders win, or will a longshot surprise? Read on to find out!
Where to Bet the Belmont
As you get ready to play the Belmont Stakes, the first step is to know where to bet the Belmont Stakes online! There are many sportsbooks online, meaning the decision can feel difficult. Our expert bookie reviews are here to help you make a confident decision quickly.
All of our recommended sportsbooks offer trusted deposit and cash-out features, the best odds, and great bonuses. Different sites offer different bonuses such as deposit and sign-up incentives, rebates, and referral bonuses. Our experts will help you choose the one that will be most profitable for you and help you make the most of your betting dollars!
Belmont Stakes Horses and Odds
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
- Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph, Jr./Manuel Franco) – 20/1
- Nest (Todd Pletcher/Jose Ortiz) – 8/1
- Rich Strike (Eric Reed/Sonny Leon) – 7/2
- Creative Minister (Ken McPeek/Brian Hernandez, Jr.) – 6/1
- Mo Donegal (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) – 5/2
- Golden Glider (Mark Casse/Dylan Davis) – 20/1
- Barber Road (John Ortiz/Joel Rosario) – 10/1
The morning line odds are the track’s best estimate of the post time odds. However, they are not guaranteed. Fortunately, if you bet on the Belmont Stakes online, you can lock in your odds the moment you place your bet because online sportsbooks offer fixed-odds wagering.
These are the current odds on the 2022 Belmont Stakes contenders at the best online horse betting sites:
 |  |  |
|
| 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 |
Free Belmont Picks
The Belmont Stakes is an exciting handicapping challenge. The track is demanding and unique, with a sandy surface and sweeping turns; jockeys who have experience riding the course often have an advantage. The 1 ½-mile distance is longer than any of the horses in the field have ever had to handle, meaning both fitness and distance pedigree are at a premium.
Belmont Stakes Contenders
The likely favorite in the Belmont Stakes is We the People. There is good reason why: We the People is already a graded winner at Belmont, and he is the only horse in the field of eight who likes to go straight to the lead. This could give him a pace advantage. However, he lacks the seasoning of some of his foes and some other horses have better mile and a half pedigrees.
Mo Donegal is the best bet in the Belmont Stakes. He is proven at Belmont and has an excellent distance pedigree. Though his more recent races had him well off the pace, earlier in his career he ran winning races from a lot closer to the pace, even in stakes company. If strong Belmont rider Irad Ortiz can use that tactical ability again then Mo Donegal will be very tough.
Nest also intrigues on the step up in trip. She will have to improve significantly compared to her second-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks, and it is a concern that Secret Oath (who beat her in Louisville) ran off the board in the Preakness. But, she also has some earlier races with tactical speed, her distance pedigree is strong, and trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Belmont with a filly before.
Rich Strike will not be the kind of longshot he was in the Kentucky Derby. He will also not have the lightning-fast pace to close into like he did in the Kentucky Derby. He does appear to be coming into the race well and he has an excellent pedigree for the distance, but leave him for the deepest exotics only.
Belmont Stakes Longshot
Among the longer-priced horses in the Belmont Stakes, look to Barber Road, particularly in the underneath rungs of intra-race exotics. Though he has yet to win a stakes race, he consistently runs good races against this quality of company. And, though he rallied from far off of the pace in the Kentucky Derby, he has enough good races from closer to the pace to suggest that he will adapt well to the much slower setup this time.
Belmont Free Picks
Now all that is left is to get your wagers in. 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
