The Belmont Stakes will be run for the 154th time on Saturday, June 11, 2022. The oldest of the three Triple Crown races and also the longest, it is known as the Test of the Champion for a good reason. The race covers a demanding 1 ½ miles on the Belmont dirt, and the winner gets the lion’s share of a rich $1.5 million purse.
The Belmont is one of the greatest horse racing betting events of the year. The race drew a field of eight top-class horses, all of whom are going longer than they ever have gone before. The field includes longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who will try to prove his 80-1 triumph was no fluke, but he will have to do so with a far less favorable pace setup.
These are the odds on the top 2022 Belmont Stakes contenders:
 |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| We the People | +225 | +200 | +250 |
| Mo Donegal | +250 | +250 | +220 |
| Rich Strike | +400 | +350 | +400 |
| Creative Minister | +650 | +600 | +650 |
| Nest | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Barber Road | +1200 | +1000 | +1200 |
Going to the Belmont Stakes in person is one of the most exciting horse racing trips you can take. However, not everyone can make it to New York. The good news is, that you can still be a part of the action no matter where you are located. As long as you have an internet connect, you can bet the race!
The best online sportsbooks offer an experience even better than you get at the track. Our recommended sportsbooks all feature real Vegas odds, easy-to-use websites, and trustworthy bankroll management features. And, you do not even have to wait in line or deal with the likely rainy weather at the track on race day!
Online sportsbooks also offer excellent betting bonuses for Belmont Stakes players. Those incentives include deposit and sign-up bonuses, horse racing rebates, and referral benefits. Let our experts help you find out which sites are most lucrative for your betting style, and get ready to maximize your Belmont Day betting profits!
This is the official field for the 2022 Belmont Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning iline odds:
Morning line odds are not your guaranteed betting odds; they are just the track’s estimate of what the prices will be, come post time. Your best bet for the 2022 Belmont Stakes is playing the race at an online sportsbook. They allow fixed-odds wagering, meaning you can lock in the best odds at the moment you play your horse.
Before you play the Belmont Stakes, keep a few handicapping principles in mind.
Even though a lot of people get excited about horses who were finishing well in the Kentucky Derby or another long race, closers do not usually win the Belmont Stakes. Instead, horses with tactical speed tend to fare a lot better. Pace is especially important in the 2022 Belmont since there is not a lot of early speed entered in the race.
The Belmont is longer than any of the entrants have ever gone. So, make sure that your horse has a good distance pedigree. Many horses in the United States are bred to go sprint or middle distances, so look for a horse who has a lot of close relatives who have stretched out to Classic distances or even longer successfully.
Also give a plus factor to horses with jockeys who have experience riding at Belmont Park. With Belmont being a larger, more sweeping course than many others, jockeys who do not know the track well can move their horses too early instead of saving their energy for the long, demanding stretch.
The best bet for the Belmont Stakes is Mo Donegal. He has a strong pedigree for the Belmont distance and is already proven over the course. Though he has been a closer in more recent races, he has some strong back form from closer to the pace, including against stakes company in the Remsen. If strong Belmont rider Irad Ortiz does that again, he should be able to run down the favorite.
That likely favorite is We the People, who will probably set the pace in the Belmont. He should get a nice trip on the lead, but he also has to prove himself at this class as well as prove he can stay the distance of the race. His pedigree is a mixed bag for that, especially since his closer dam-side relatives have proven to sprint to middle distances.
Nest, Mo Donegal’s stablemate in the Todd Pletcher barn, also deserves a look. Nest will need to move forward from her last-out second in the Kentucky Oaks, but her distance pedigree appeals, as does the fact that she has a few races closer to the pace than she has been recent. It also helps that Pletcher has already won the Belmont with a filly before.
Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will not be the massive longshot in the Belmont as he was in the Derby. He also will not get the nuclear pace in front of him as he got in Louisville. His current form and his distance pedigree make him possible for the lowest rungs of exotics, but it is hard to see him getting all the way there.
Though Barber Road has yet to win a stakes race, he reliably shows up against the quality company. And, though he rallied from last to finish sixth in the Kentucky Derby, he has enough tactical versatility to adjust his Belmont trip given the completely different pace scenario. At a price, it would be no surprise to see him in the Belmont exotics.
Now that you have your betting account and have gotten to know the contenders, here are the Belmont Stake best bets!
About the Author
For a decade, Rowan Ward has been making horse race predictions and wagers in Chicago, and has been writing about horse racing for nearly just as long. Understanding the various factors that influence a race's outcome, they often find that the age-old saying "the pace makes the race" can uncover worthwhile betting opportunities. When it comes to handicapping, their favorite races are those held locally in Chicago, major stake races across the country, and two-year-old maiden races with intriguing bloodlines.
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