Belmont Stakes Betting 2025
This is our exclusive Belmont Stakes betting guide, including early odds for Belmont Stakes contenders and the best places for betting on the Belmont Stakes.
Everything you need for the best Belmont Stakes bets
The Belmont Stakes is the third jewel of the American Triple Crown. The race has been won by all-time greats like Ruthless, Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and American Pharoah. Traditionally called the Test of the Champion, it is usually contested on a one and a half-mile (twelve-furlong) loop around Belmont’s sandy, demanding dirt track in Elmont, New York. However, with the New York Racing Association currently reconstructing Belmont Park, the last two editions have been contested on a nine furlong dirt track at Saratoga. Even at this shorter distance, it is still a challenging track for some of the sport’s best performers.
The 156th running of the Belmont Stakes took place on Saturday, June 8, 2025 at Saratoga Race Course. Next year’s edition will also be held at Saratoga, with the 2027 race due to return to Belmont Park after a lengthy period of reconstruction work.
This article will tell you everything you need to know in order to bet on the Stakes like a pro!
Las Vegas Belmont Stakes Odds
Odds on the Belmont Stakes are subject to change as the race gets closer. As horses recover from the Preakness Stakes, the Peter Pan, or other prep races before the Belmont, trainers make their decisions about whether to send their horses to New York. Make sure to follow the latest news about how horses are coming into the Belmont; this can affect their odds!
NYRA will release morning-line odds after the Belmont Stakes draws. However, keep in mind that those odds are not guaranteed since betting on track is pari-mutuel, meaning the odds depend on the other bets that are made. But, with online betting, Belmont Stakes odds and odds on other major races all year long are fixed, meaning you lock in the best price just by placing a bet!
| Belmont Stakes betting odds 2026 |  |  |  |
| Journalism | +160 | +180 | +160 |
| Sovereignty | +200 | +200 | +210 |
| Baeza | +410 | +400 | +400 |
| Rodriguez | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Hill Road | +1000 | +1100 | +1000 |
| Crudo | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
| Uncaged | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Heart of Honor | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
Best Sites to Bet on Belmont Stakes Online
You have always been able to bet the Belmont Stakes from the racetrack, and for decades you have had the option to bet on the race from an off-track betting shop (OTB) or Las Vegas casino. However, there has never been a better time to enjoy the modern convenience and safety of betting the Belmont Stakes online from home.
It can seem tough to choose the best site to play the Belmont Stakes. There are many online sportsbooks to choose from, and they all offer different odds and benefits. Fortunately, our wagering experts have evaluated many sportsbooks, and here the experts recommend online sportsbooks that offer the best odds, features, and bonuses.
Read on for the best sportsbooks for betting the 2026 Belmont Stakes online. All of them have excellent user interfaces and trusted payment and cashout features. They also offer players a wide range of incentives including horse racing rebates and deposit bonuses.
Belmont Stakes Betting Resources
Once you have made your account at one or more of the best racebooks online, you need to make sure you know how to bet the races. If you are just learning how to play the races, or you’d like to refresh your knowledge, read these articles on the basics of smart horse racing betting:
Top Belmont Stakes Contenders
The field for next year’s Belmont Stakes won’t be drawn until June 2026. Once the Belmont Park racing office draws the race, we will have the post time, post positions, trainers, jockeys, full analysis, and expert selections for the big race. Until then, keep an eye on the news about the contenders, keep in mind what you’ve learned from their previous races, and feel free to place a future bet if the odds are enticing!
Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes champion in 2025, is expected to return as a strong contender or even favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, having shown remarkable closing speed and tactical versatility in this year’s edition.
Other likely top picks include Hill Road, listed with early odds around 10–1 on Belmont 2026 betting guides, and Rodriguez, appearing at approximately 6–1, both seen as live threats in a strong field.
New Faces for the Belmont Stakes
As always, some horses new to the Triple Crown series will show up in the Belmont. And, often the new faces are live contenders, just like Arcangelo was in 2023!
Several horses made their Belmont Stakes debut in 2025, arriving with strong prep races and intriguing pedigrees. Hill Road, trained by Chad Brown, was fresh off a win in the Grade III Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct and came in at morning line odds of 10–1. He ran as a tactical closer in the Mile-and-an-eighth prep and ultimately finished fifth in the Belmont field of eight. Meanwhile, Rodriguez—who had skipped both the Derby and Preakness due to a hoof bruise but returned to win the Wood Memorial for Bob Baffert—entered at 6–1 and showed front-running speed, ultimately finishing fourth behind the top three.
Other debut entrants like Heart of Honor (international shipper from Dubai, 30–1 odds) and Crudo (15–1), both lightly raced stateside, offered longshot appeal. Heart of Honor had recently placed second in the UAE Derby before coming to the U.S. and finished sixth in the Belmont, while Crudo—winner of the Sir Barton Stakes—crossed seventh in the final order
Why Do We Choose These Horse Racing Betting Sites?
The Belmont Stakes is one of the best betting races of the year, and as a bettor, you make the most of your money if you are placing your bets at a trustworthy sportsbook that offers the best Vegas odds and gives you the best betting incentives.
Whether you are just learning how to bet the horses or you’ve been playing them since you stood at the rail with your grandparents decades ago, finding the best place to bet the races online can be difficult given how many options there are. There is no substitute for advice from betting experts who know the online betting market inside and out.
That’s where we can help. Our experts have vetted every sportsbook listed on our site, and determined that they offer what you need to make betting the Belmont fun and profitable. They offer trustworthy payment and cash-out options, intuitive wagering interfaces, true Vegas odds, and excellent bonuses and incentives for Belmont Stakes players. Some of them even offer a betting app, so you can play the Belmont Stakes and races all year with one tap!
Sign up for our top sportsbooks, and be confident that you will have the best in online wagering, Belmont Stakes day and beyond.
How to Bet on the Belmont Stakes — Top Tips to Win
Once you have read our sportsbook reviews and found the site with the best bonuses and features for you, it’s time to start handicapping the Belmont Stakes! As you think about the horses who are pointing toward the race, keep these handicapping principles in mind. They will help you separate the contenders from the pretenders, and pick a winner!
Pedigree
The Belmont covers a mile and a half of ground, which is the longest any of the horses in the race have ever gone. Since they have not had the chance to prove on the racetrack whether they can handle such a long distance, you have to look for clues in their pedigree about whether they will be able to handle it.
If their sire won the Belmont Stakes or another race of similar length, that is a positive to see. It is also good to see if any of their sire’s other foals have won going such long distances; for example, it is always a positive to see a Tapit baby running in the Belmont, since Tapit has already sired four winners (Tonalist, Creator, Tapwrit, and Essential Quality).
It is also good to look at the dam and her family. See if their dam liked to go long distances, or if any of her other foals have flourished at longer trips. Even if there are no mile and a half attempts in the close family, it’s a positive sign if there are any close relatives who did well going longer than usual for American racing, think a mile and an eighth or longer.
Experience Over the Track
A horse who has shown some good form over the local track is always at an advantage. Though that factor isn’t quite as decisive at Saratoga as it would be when the Belmont is run at its usual venue of “Big Sandy,” Belmont Park, form at the Spa is good to look for. If a horse ran well at Saratoga and has been able to hold form (or round back into good form) into their three-year-old summer, they could shape as a top contender in the Belmont Stakes.
Running Style
When handicapping the Belmont Stakes, many people fall into the trap that since the Belmont Stakes is a mile and a half, that the speed horses are going to get tired and the closers are going to have enough distance to catch the frontrunners. However, there are several reasons this is a fallacy.
For one, if a closer does not have the stamina to make it a mile and a half, they’ll be as likely to tire as a horse who is placed more forwardly. Furthermore, looking through the results of the Belmont in previous years, sitting too far back typically leaves a horse too much to do. Belmont winners don’t have to set the pace, but they often have at least tactical speed.
So, when selecting your Belmont horses, give a little more consideration to horses who can race within close range of the leaders.
Belmont Stakes Odds Explained
Once you have decided what horses you like in the Belmont, it’s time to bet! Depending on the racebook you choose, you may see Belmont Stakes odds formatted in three common ways. Here is an explanation of the different formats:
- American (+500): These are similar to what you see in American sportsbooks when betting other sports, and denote how much you win, but do not take into account getting back your initial stake. +500 means that for a winning $1 bet, you win $5. Add back your $1 initial stake, for a total of $6.
- Fractional (5/1): These are similar to what you see while doing horse betting at a racetrack. 5/1 denotes, in fractional form, how much money you win, but not your initial stake. So, for a winning $1 bet at 5/1, you get back $5 in profit plus your $1 stake, for a total of $6.
- Decimal (6.00): Particularly common in Canada, decimal odds reflect both the winnings and the returned stake together in one number. So, a winning $1 bet with 6.00 decimal odds means you get back a total of $6: including the $5 profit plus the $1 initial stake.
Knowing these odds formats will keep you informed as you read through the odds offered at your favorite sportsbooks, and have you ready to bet the Belmont Stakes like a pro!
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