Belmont Stakes Picks & Handicapping

The Belmont Stakes is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, run three weeks after the Preakness. It's a Grade 1 race for three-year-olds at 1 1/2 miles on the dirt at Belmont Park, the longest race in the American Triple Crown and the test that has historically defined champions. Smaller field than the Kentucky Derby's 20, $2 million purse. If you're looking for an edge on Belmont Day, this is how we approach it.

When Is the Belmont Stakes?

The Belmont is traditionally the first Saturday in June, three weeks after the Preakness and five weeks after the Kentucky Derby. Belmont Park on Long Island is the historic venue, with the race contested at 1 1/2 miles on dirt: "the Test of the Champion." Grade 1, $2 million purse.

The Belmont sits in a different spot from the Derby and Preakness in the betting calendar. The Derby gets the casual money. The Preakness gets the smaller pools and shorter prices. The Belmont gets national attention when there's a Triple Crown attempt, which makes the years without one some of the most under-bet Grade 1s of the season for serious players.

The Road to the Belmont Stakes

Like the Preakness, the Belmont has no points trail. The field is built from three sources:

• Derby horses pointing fresh at the Belmont. Connections who skipped the Preakness to give their horse five weeks' rest. This is the path Todd Pletcher's last three Belmont winners (Palace Malice 2013, Tapwrit 2017, Mo Donegal 2022) followed.
• Preakness horses making the third leg. Historically rare without a Triple Crown attempt; common in Triple Crown years.
• "New shooters." Fresh 3-year-olds skipping both prior legs, often coming out of stakes like the Peter Pan in May.

Smaller field than the Derby (typically 8-12 vs. 20). Less traffic, more genuine handicapping setups.

How We Handicap the Belmont Stakes

Same methodology we use on every stakes race. What the E-Z Win® Form weighs on Belmont day:

• Speed ratings calibrated to the host track's dirt surface
• Tiering into T1 through T5 so subscribers see at a glance who's live
• Pace projection. At 1 1/2 miles, closers who couldn't get there at 1 1/8 can grind down a soft front end here. Pace shape rewrites the math.
• Class relief for horses stepping up vs. coming down off Derby or Preakness form
• Trip notes from prep races and (for returning Triple Crown horses) the Derby and/or Preakness itself
• Distance pedigree. At 1 1/2 miles especially, sire and dam-sire profiles separate the horses bred for the trip from the horses who only think they want it.

Why the Belmont Is a Bettor's Race

A few reasons the Belmont often plays cleaner than the Derby:

• Smaller field. 8-12 horses instead of 20. Real handicapping setups, not Derby chaos.
• Sharper public money in non-Triple Crown years. Without the "history" narrative driving casual bets, Belmont pools concentrate among serious players. Form matters more than the story.
• The marathon distance. 1 1/2 miles is unlike anything these three-year-olds have run before. Pedigree, prep distance, and pace projection do more work here than at any other classic.
• Fresh shooters are a recurring profile. Five weeks rest off the Derby has produced multiple Belmont winners this decade. The market consistently underestimates this path.

Get Our Belmont E-Z Win® Form

The E-Z Win® Form for the Belmont gives you:

• Our full tier rankings for every Belmont runner
• Speed figures calibrated to the host track's dirt surface
• Detailed past performances and workouts for each horse
• In-depth horse, jockey, and trainer stats
• The same format subscribers use on every stakes race all year

See a sample E-Z Win® Form · See pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the next Belmont Stakes?

The Belmont is traditionally the first Saturday in June, three weeks after the Preakness. The 2026 running is Saturday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course.

How is the Belmont different from the Derby and Preakness?

Distance is the big one. Belmont Park hosts the race at 1 1/2 miles, the longest of the three Triple Crown legs and historically called "the Test of the Champion." The Derby is 1 1/4 miles, the Preakness 1 3/16. Field size is smaller than the Derby's 20. Calendar: three weeks after the Preakness, five weeks after the Kentucky Derby.

Why was the Belmont at Saratoga from 2024 to 2026?

Belmont Park was in the final phases of a $455 million reconstruction. The New York Racing Association moved the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga Race Course for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 runnings while construction wrapped up. The 2027 Belmont returns to the rebuilt Belmont Park at the traditional 1 1/2 mile distance. While at Saratoga the race was contested at 1 1/4 miles because Saratoga's main track is smaller than Belmont Park's.

Has any horse won the Triple Crown recently?

Sovereignty swept the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes in 2025. He was the first horse to do so since Thunder Gulch in 1995. The last horse to win the traditional Derby-Preakness-Belmont Triple Crown sweep was Justify in 2018.

What wagers link Friday's card with the Belmont Stakes?

NYRA cards a two-day Pick 5 spanning the Friday and Saturday cards, plus the Belmont Stakes Day Pick 6 (Saturday only). Both have higher payout potential than win-only wagering but require multiple correct legs.