Belmont Stakes Expert Predictions and Betting Advice

2014 Belmont Stakes Field: Early Look and Handicapping
by Trevor Whenham - 5/21/2014

The prospect of a Triple Crown for California Chrome certainly hasn’t scared away contenders for the Belmont Stakes. As many as 11 horses are currently aiming for the race, and more could emerge as we get closer to the big day. Here’s how the field is shaping up in the early days of the build up to the race:

2013 Belmont Stakes Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/6/2013

This is a very interesting edition of the Belmont Stakes. The field is large, and there are a ridiculous number of Derby entrants back for this race. There isn’t a clear standout horse, but cases can be made for several. It is a true and perplexing handicapping puzzle. I haven’t settled on my winner yet, but there are four 2013 Belmont Stakes predictions that I am willing to make and stand behind:

2013 Kentucky Derby Horses in the Belmont Stakes
by Trevor Whenham - 6/4/2013

We are likely to see a surprisingly large field for the Belmont Stakes this year — as I write there are 14 horses likely to be entered. Even more remarkable, though, is that 10 of the 19 horses that were entered in the Kentucky Derby this year are likely to be back for another shot at Triple Crown glory in the Belmont.

2013 Belmont Stakes Jockeys
by Trevor Whenham - 6/4/2013

Jockeys are always big stories in the Triple Crown races. Outstanding rides from Joel Rosario and Gary Stevens are big reasons why we have had the two winners we have had so far. The jockeys in the Belmont Stakes are a very interesting and eclectic group. Here’s a look at the most interesting storylines in the field:

Fillies in the Belmont Stakes
by Trevor Whenham - 6/4/2013

On Monday Todd Pletcher confirmed that he will be entering Unlimited Budget in the Belmont Stakes — one of five horses he has pointed to the race. So why does this one horse stand out from the pack? Well, she’ll be just the 23rd filly to take on the boys in the toughest test there is for three year olds.

2013 Belmont Stakes Trainers
by Trevor Whenham - 6/4/2013

You obviously can’t talk about the Belmont Stakes this year without talking about Pletcher. As it sits the day before entries are officially due, Pletcher is expected to enter five horses. That is fully a third of the field. He won’t have the favorite, though Revolutionary is likely to go off as the second choice.

Fresh Horses in the 2013 Belmont Stakes
by Trevor Whenham - 6/4/2013

The field for the Belmont Stakes is different and unique in its makeup each year. By any measure, though, this year’s is just plain bizarre. The day before the entries are due it looks as if there will be 14 horses entered. Of those, 10 raced in the Kentucky Derby. That’s an incredibly-high percentage — and far more than we usually see.

2013 Belmont Stakes Pace Scenario
by Trevor Whenham - 6/3/2013

Predicting the pace in the Belmont Stakes this year is making my head hurt. That’s what these first two Triple Crown races have done to me. Pace has not just been one important factor in the first two races. It has been the entire reason for the outcome in both cases.

Weekly Top Props Odds and Predictions – Belmont Stakes
by Dave Schwab - 6/3/2013

This upcoming Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, marks the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes, which is the final and most grueling test of all three Triple Crown races for three-year-old thoroughbreds. While all eyes will be on the projected duel between Kentucky Derby winner Orb against Oxbow, the surprising winner of this year’s Preakness Stakes, Sportsbook.ag has decided to make things even more interesting with odds for a couple of head-to-head matchups and other props surrounding the outcome of this race.

Horses that can win the Belmont Stakes
by Trevor Whenham - 5/30/2013

There is still some uncertainty about the field for the Belmont Stakes — as you would expect a week before the entries are due. As the prospective field sits now, though, eight probables stand out as horses than can win the Belmont Stakes. (Odds to win are from Sportsbook.ag)

How to Bet the Belmont Stakes in 2013
by Trevor Whenham - 5/30/2013

Betting the Belmont Stakes successfully may be harder than any other race all year — and that’s saying something given how tough it is to cash in on the Kentucky Derby. There are so many different factors that go into the race that you can give yourself a headache trying to figure it all out.

2013 Belmont Stakes Trends for Betting
by Trevor Whenham - 5/30/2013

The Belmont Stakes is very difficult race to handicap. The Belmont is much longer than any horse has run before and longer than most are bred to run. The track is a half mile longer than most, too, so the stretch is endless, and the turns are sweeping. Horses are tired after the grueling spring, and it seems like anything can happen.

2013 Belmont Stakes Handicapping: Early Look
by Trevor Whenham - 5/21/2013

For yet another year we are not going to see a Triple Crown winner. Sigh. While that puts a bit of a damper on the third jewel of the series, the Belmont Stakes on June 8, we still have what should be a good race to look forward to. The lack of a Triple Crown threat means that challengers aren’t afraid to enter the race, and that, in turn, means that we are looking at the potential for a large, deep field. At this point there are at least 14 horses under consideration, though that will obviously change, and likely shrink, by post time.

2012 Belmont Stakes Handicapping Update: I’ll Have Another Scratched
by T.O. Whenham - 6/8/2012

Suddenly, everything has changed and the Belmont Stakes just isn’t nearly as interesting anymore. After returning from an early gallop this morning I’ll Have Another had slight swelling in his left front leg. A veterinarian was summoned, and an examination discovered tendonitis. The horse was immediately scratched, and won’t race again this year — and quite likely never again.

2012 Belmont Stakes Pace Scenario
by T.O. Whenham - 6/7/2012

How the pace of a race plays out can have a huge impact on who wins. What makes this edition of the Belmont Stakes so interesting — besides the pursuit of the Triple Crown, obviously — is that the pace scenario is surprisingly unclear. There are several ways it could turn out, but most horses are likely to patiently wait to look at how the race sets up before committing to anything. It could be that the first jockey to blink determines how the whole race turns out.

2012 Belmont Stakes Jockeys
by T.O. Whenham - 6/6/2012

Jockeys are always one of the most important parts of any race. They are never more important than they are in the Belmont Stakes, though. Their mounts are being asked to do something far beyond what they have ever done before. The jockeys need to get their horses comfortable and manage their limited energy perfectly — all while running on one of the toughest tracks to judge in the country.

2012 Belmont Stakes Props: Odds and Predictions
by David Schwab - 6/6/2012

This Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, history could be made if a three-year-old thoroughbred chestnut colt named I’ll Have Another is able to win this year’s Belmont Stakes. It would mark the first time since 1978 and just the 12th time in the long and illustrious history of American horse racing that a horse successfully completed the Triple Crown by winning first the Kentucky Derby and then the Preakness Stakes before going on to win this race.

2012 Belmont Stakes: Handicapping the Trainers
by T.O. Whenham - 6/6/2012

When a horse faces a massive challenge for the first time — like the marathon distance of the Belmont Stakes — the preparations the trainer has done before the race is often the difference between success and failure. The 2012 Belmont Stakes has no shortage of interesting storylines among the trainers. Here’s a look:

2012 Belmont Stakes Handicapping: Fresh Horses
by T.O. Whenham - 5/31/2012

We are in the midst of a strange trend in the Belmont Stakes. From 1994 to 2006 all but one winner of the Belmont Stakes — Sarava in 2002 — had previously run in at least one leg of the Triple Crown. That’s a strong trend.

2012 Belmont Stakes Handicapping Trends
by T.O. Whenham - 5/30/2012

We are less than two weeks away from the Belmont Stakes. I don’t know about you, but the closer we get to I’ll Have Another’s shot at history the more nervous and excited I get. To help pass the time I thought I’d take a look at some recent Belmont Stakes handicapping trends. Unfortunately, most of them don’t seem to improve I’ll Have Another’s chances in the big race: