The most important race of the year on the New York racing calendar happens Saturday, June 8: the Belmont Stakes. A few things have changed since last year about the third and final jewel of the Triple Crown. For one, the purse has been raised to an exciting $2 million, making it more lucrative than ever for the winner.
Furthermore, the race will not be run at Belmont Park, which is under construction. Instead, for the first time ever, the Triple Crown series will end at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York! Due to the configuration of the track, the Belmont will be run at 1 ¼ instead of 1 ½ miles. Still, it will be just as long as the Kentucky Derby, making it a true test of stamina.
Even if you can’t make it upstate, you can be a part of the action by betting the Belmont Stakes! With a top-class field featuring the Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and the Preakness winner Seize the Grey, anyone who handicaps the race correctly will not only enjoy an exciting two minutes but get paid handsomely at the end!
Read on to find out the best horses to bet, and the best places to bet the Belmont Stakes online in New York.
Choosing a place to play the Belmont Stakes can seem difficult because there are a lot of options. Our experts are here to help you quickly and confidently make a choice with their trusted horse betting site reviews. All of our recommended sites offer the asics: trusted payouts, market-leading odds, and the convenience of betting anywhere with an internet connection.
Our recommended sites also offer great bonuses like sign-up and deposit bonuses, referral incentives, and horse racing rebates that pay you back for every bet you make. So, take a few minutes now to pick the most profitable one for your betting style, and get ready to maximize your Belmont Stakes betting profits!
These are the official entrants for the 2024 Belmont Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds:
Keep in mind that the morning line is the track’s best estimate of what the odds will be come post time. Odds on track are not final until the race begins. When you bet Belmont Park’s biggest horse race, you can maximize your profits by playing the race at an online racebook. Since racebooks offer fixed-odds betting on major races, you can lock in the best odds at the moment you bet!
Now that you have your betting account set up, it is time to get to know the contenders.
Unlike other editions of the Belmont Stakes, you will have some horses who already have form over the distance, since the Belmont will be run at 1 ¼ miles, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby. If a horse handled it well, it is a positive. However, if they disappointed in the Derby, make sure to note whether the distance thwarted them or they ran into trip trouble.
It is also worth looking at distance pedigrees, especially for horses who did not contest the Kentucky Derby. Even though the Belmont distance is shorter than before, it is still a testing trip, and many of the runners have not tried it yet, so that can help you figure out who wants the distance.
Mystik Dan is the best bet in the Belmont Stakes. Even though he has tables to turn on Seize the Grey from the Preakness, the Derby winner should be able to get his kind of trip in this race. After all, Seize the Gray is going to have to race right up with Dornoch, The Wine Steward, and perhaps even Mindframe, leading to a sharp pace.
That sets up perfectly for Mystik Dan, who also drew perfectly in the 3 gate. Inside runs have become his trademark, and he should be able to get a nice one from midpack the way the Belmont sets up. He is a winner at the 1 ¼-mile distance already, and if the rain in the forecast comes to fruition, he is also a well-proven mud runner.
Although Sierra Leone will be a short price, his consistent record makes him a must-use in Belmont tickets. In five starts, he is two noses away from undefeated, including missing by that margin to Mystik Dan in the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby. His draw should help him make his usual outside run, and he has the stamina to launch a run on the far turn and run well to the wire.
Two others can bounce back from less-than-good trips in the Kentucky Derby. Honor Marie had a rough start; with a better beginning he won’t have to drop so far back, and new rider Florent Geroux brings more big-race dirt experience. Resilience was hung near the outside at Churchill, but his near-inside gate should get him a trip similar to the one that won him the Wood Memorial (G2).
Superstar New York trainer Todd Pletcher has a trio. Mindframe will be an underlay and Antiquarian needs a step up, but Protective, the likely longest shot on the board, intrigues as a bomber for deeper exotics.
Though Protective is still a maiden, he has two races worth of stakes experience. He rallied for third in the Wood after a rough start, but also chased on for third after a tracking trip in the Peter Pan (G3). That shows he is adaptable. With a solid distance pedigree and more room to improve with that experience of the Wood and the Peter Pan behind him, he can snag another stakes placing.
At Saratoga you can wager on many of the same wagers that you get all over the country. You can bet to win, meaning the horse must run first. You can bet to place, meaning the horse must run first or second. A show bet means the horse must run first, second, or third. Across the board means betting a horse to win, place, or show.
You can also chase higher payouts with exotic wagers. An exacta requires picking the first two horses in order, the trifecta the first three in order, superfecta the first four. Boxing these wagers costs more, but ensures you have every order covered, so your horses can finish in any order.
You can also pick winners in multiple races. A Daily Double requires you to pick the winners of two races in a row. A Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 5 require you to pick winners of 3, 4, and 5 races in a row. The Empire 6, a $1 minimum Pick 6, makes you pick six winners in a row: every race from the Jaipur through the Belmont.
Finally, New York Racing Association racetracks also offer the unique Grand Slam bet. Offered in races 7 through 10 on Belmont Day, your horse has to finish first, second, or third in the first three legs, and then win the final leg.
You have gotten to know the field and you have your New York online betting account all set up. Now, it is time for the most fun part of all: betting the Belmont Stakes!
These are the best bets for the 2024 Belmont Stakes:
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