Belmont Stakes Predictions, Betting Picks, Odds (Belmont Park)

Check out our predictions and odds for the 2022 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park!

Belmont Stakes Predictions and Best Bets

Here are my plays ($60 in total)

$10 Belmont Gold Cup – Belmont Stakes (Friday-Saturday) Daily Double – Loft with  Creative Minister, Mo Donegal and We the People = $30

$5 Trifecta part wheel – Creative Minister over Mo Donegal over We the People, Nest and Barber Road = $15

$5 Trifecta part wheel – Creative Minister over We the People, Nest and Barber Road over Mo Donegal = $15

If you’re playing only to win, go with my top pick Creative Minister (6/1)

Kentucky Derby winner, Rich Strike, Peter Pan winner, We the People, and Wood Memorial winner, Mo Donegal, top a field of eight for Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.

The Grade 1 classic is the final leg of the 2022 Triple Crown series. The 1 ½- mile test at Belmont Park follows the upset by Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, which was won by Early Voting.

We the People, a dominating 10 ¼-length winner of the Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park, was pegged as the 2/1 morning line favorite.

Unraced at 2, the speedy son of Constitution has won three of four starts this year for trainer Rodolphe Brisset and will be ridden again by Flavien Prat.

Next on the morning line is Mo Donegal. The strapping son of Uncle Mo was a late-running victor of the Grade 2 Wood Memorial over the eventual Preakness winner.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, he is a two-time graded stakes winner in New York. Most recently, he rallied wide to finish fifth in the Kentucky Derby.

Dismissed at odds of 80/1 in the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike will be bet significantly more on Saturday. Taking the unusual step of skipping the Preakness, the Derby winner has been pointed instead for the longer distance of the Belmont.

Taking full advantage of the blistering early pace, the son of Keen Ice weaved through traffic to get up late in the Run for the Roses in what was only his second career win.

Get Your Money Back On Belmont Stakes Week

TVG will refund your first win bet when you finish 2nd or 3rd on select races at Belmont Park on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Belmont Stakes week. If your first single horse win wager on a race finishes 2nd or 3rd they will refund you up to $10 per race!

Belmont Stakes Predictions and Race Analysis

We the People

This son of Constitution seems to have found himself with a very good pace scenario in the final leg of the Triple Crown. The only speed of the race, he should go right out to the early lead and see how far he can take them.

In Grade 3 Peter Pan, he caught a wet fast track, which is possible again for the Belmont, and dominated the field from wire to wire. That came at 9 furlongs and at one-turn, though. On a fast track, it might be tough to take them all the way. On a wet track, he becomes even more dangerous.

Clearly a talented horse with a pace advantage, he figures to be a real threat to go all the way on Saturday.

Mo Donegal

If there was just a little bit more early pace in the Belmont, I would have had no hesitation to tab this son of Uncle Mo as the one to beat on Saturday. As a late runner, though, the likely slow pace will not set the table for him. Even without the best set-up, though, he still can win on Saturday.

Twice a graded stakes winner in New York already, his late run has been as consistent as can be. He’s faced good horses and was flattered when Early Voting exited the Wood Memorial to win the Preakness. Unlike the Derby winner, he has shown the ability to stay a little closer when need be.

He is also one of two from trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won this race three times already. I see him as the most likely horse to run well and finish strong, but I am leaning elsewhere for my top pick.

Rich Strike

A shocking victory in the Kentucky Derby was primarily caused by a ridiculously fast early pace at Churchill Downs. Having said that, the son of Keen Ice needed to be good enough to weave through traffic and pick up the pieces over some very good horses.

Can the former claimer do it again? It’s possible, as he seems to be thriving of late and was kept out of the Preakness to wait for this one.

Still, I have my doubts. Of all the horses in the race, I believe the lack of speed here hurts him the most, as he truly lacks any early speed of his own. Secondly, I do worry that having scored both of his wins at Churchill Downs, he is not likely to carry his success to the Belmont racing surface.

Creative Minister

Creative Minister is definitely a sight for sore eyes ???? #BelmontStakes pic.twitter.com/q4MCyjYRwr

— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 3, 2022

This son of Creative Cause did not make his career debut until March, but in four races he has proven to be an up and comer within the division. After a near-miss in his debut, he stretched out to win impressively at 1 1/16-miles in maiden and allowance company.

From there he stepped right up to the classics when his connections ponied up $150,000 to supplement him to the Triple Crown series. The investment has already paid off to a point when he was able to finish third in the Preakness.

With a good finishing kick and the tactical speed to stay close early, the Kenny McPeek-trained runner should sit a good trip on Saturday.

His trainer has won the Belmont before and this one is bred to run all day. Another step forward for the improving colt very well could be enough to get the job done.  He is the top pick.

Nest

After a second in the Kentucky Oaks, she follows Secret Oath as the second filly to run in this year’s Triple Crown series, after that one came back to run fourth in the Preakness. The Kentucky Oaks winner did not have a great trip in the Preakness, so it is possible that Nest could fare better here.

Bred to run all day, the Todd-Pletcher-trained daughter of Curlin should have enough early speed to stay in touch early. From there it will be a matter of whether she can out-finish the boys.

It’s worth noting that her regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. sticks with Mo Donegal over her. I see a similar trip for her as Creative Minister, and of the two, I like the improving male a bit better.

Barber Road

Despite an 0-for-6 record in stakes racing, this one from the barn of Johnny Ortiz continues to turn in solid efforts. He rallied to finish second in four of those stakes tries and also ran well when third in the Rebel and sixth in the Kentucky Derby.

A wide trip cost him a better placing in the Derby, and he actually ran a very similar race to Mo Donegal on the first Saturday in May. The lack of pace in here is not a plus, but his solid finishes seem not to be dependent on fast early fractions.

Picking up Joel Rosario as his jockey here certainly can’t hurt as well. He is a threat to hit the board with some value on Saturday.

Skippylongstocking

This son of Exaggerator comes into the Belmont off a fifth-place finish in the Preakness and a third-place effort in the Wood Memorial before that. Neither were bad, but neither were good enough to appreciate his chances on Saturday.

As the most experienced horse in the field I also wonder if he has already reached his ceiling, which looks a cut below the best in here.

On the bright side, he has shown some tactical speed before and has finished his races pretty well of late. Still, he looks to be a deserving longshot in this year’s final leg of the Triple Crown.

Golden Glider

Trained by Mark Casse, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2019 with Sir Winston, this son of Ghostzapper was a distant second last time behind We the People in the Peter Pan. It was his fourth consecutive try in graded stakes racing after winning his first two career starts.

He wasn’t embarrassed in any of them, but he never truly threatened either. He has shown a touch of tactical speed, so perhaps he can be in the leading group early, but overall he looks destined to be an also-ran in his toughest race yet. He is not for me.

How to Watch the Belmont Stakes