2023 Belmont Stakes Betting Tips, Best Bookmakers & Free Bets
"The third jewel of the Triple Crown" is what makes the Belmont Stakes one of the most exciting races in the world.
Bettors could see a potential Triple Crown winner crowned at Belmont Park and it's considered to be the toughest three-year-old race in the US.
With a rise in distance to 2400m, horses that competed in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes can often struggle to see out the distance.
Some horses decide to target only the Belmont Stakes, which can also thwart a potential Triple Crown bid.
If there is no chance of a Triple Crown winner, popularity for the Belmont Stakes can slip but it's a favoured race with bettors.
Belmont Stakes Key Facts
Date
Saturday June 20, 2023
Track
Belmont Park
Distance
2400m
Class
Group 1
Race Type
Set weights
Prize money
$1.5 million
Age
3YO
2023 Belmont Stakes Card
The Belmont Stakes is one of six Group 1 races on a bumper card at Belmont Park in June.
Some of the best thoroughbreds in the US compete on Belmont Stakes day and the supporting card has been compared to the Breeders' Cup card.
Race Name
Just A Game Stakes
Jaipur Invitational
Acorn Stakes
Manhattan Handicap
Woody Stephens Stakes
Metropolitan Handicap
Belmont Stakes
Easy Goer Stakes
Brooklyn Invitational
Ogden Phillips Handicap
Belmont Stakes history
Held every June in New York, the Belmont Stakes is the longest Triple Crown race at 2400m and that was given it the name "The Test of Champions".
First run in 1867, the Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the Triple Crown races and was first held at Jerome Park Racetrack, which was owned by stock market speculator Leonard Jerome.
The track was financed by August Belmont Sr, which is where the name comes from and the Belmont Stakes was first taken out by Ruthless, a three-year-old filly.
The great Man o'War scored by 20 lengths in 1920 which set a stakes and American record at that time.
In 1937, War Admiral became the fourth Triple Crown winner when winning the Belmont Stakes in record time.
A big crowd of over 80,000 people were on track in 1971 to cheer on Latino community hero, Canonero II, which had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, but it suffered a foot infection leading up to the Belmont Stakes and subsequently finished fourth.
Man o'War's 20-length winning margin would be beaten by Secretariat, which scored by an incredible 31 lengths in a record time of 2:24.
Secretariat's record still stands and it has long been the poster race for the Belmont Stakes.
In more recent times, the Belmont Stakes has been a bad race for Triple Crown contenders. For three years running, horses with a Triple Crown on the line were defeated.
War Emblem lost to longshot Sarava after losing its footing at the start. In 2003, a crowd of 101,864 watched Funny Cide finish third to Empire Maker and a year later an even bigger crowd was on track to see Smarty Jones upset by Birdstone.
Three more Triple Crown bids have failed since, with California Chrome being the most famous.
Redemption was on the cards for the favourites, however, with American Pharoah scoring the Triple Crown win in 2015.
There have been nine international winners of the Belmont Stakes, including five from the UK, three from Ireland and one from Canada.
Justify became the second horse in four years to win the Triple Crown in 2018. He went straight to the lead in the Belmont Stakes and was never headed.
Belmont Stakes betting guide
Due to the many Triple Crown upsets, winners can often pay a good price in the Belmont Stakes.
Creator paid $11 when winning in 2016 and Tonalist paid a respectable $9 when winning in 2014.
Splitting those two wins was American Pharoah, which paid $1.60 with bookmakers, much to the delight of bettors.
Palice Malice upset Oxbow and Orb in 2013 when scoring at odds of $16 and there have been many more upset wins over the course of history.
One of the biggest upsets was when Birdstone upset the Triple Crown bid of Smarty Jones in 2004. There was big money placed on Smarty Jones, but it could manage only second.
Belmont Stakes betting trends
Since 1940 there have been 34 horses sent out at even money or better but only 13 of those have won.
The winner has paid more than $20 on 11 occasions since 1999.
Sarava's win in 2002 resulted in a $142.50 win for bettors who took the gamble on war Emblem being upset.
Only four of the last eight Belmont winners ran in the Preakness Stakes.
