Jackson Holland is an experienced sports writer and handicapper based in Pennsylvania. He worked part-time at a racetrack and casino while majoring in English Literature at college, and that inspired a passion for gambling. Holland spent a decade as a journalist working for a variety of regional newspapers before joining the sports betting industry. He writes long-form betting guides for Basketball Insiders, Augusta Free Press and various other publications.
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Following his graduation with an Honors in Business Administration, Nick redirected his focus from conventional stocks and bonds to the world of sports team performance investments. He employs a unique blend of advanced statistics and historical data to construct intricate sports investment models, pinpointing value opportunities and consistently yielding profits. Nick's contributions extend beyond a single platform, as his work can be discovered on outlets such as Pistons Powered, Winners And Whiners, and numerous other publications.
All posts by Nick RaffoulA star-studded field will gather at Belmont Park to vie for glory in the 2023 Belmont Stakes on June 10. We have provided our expert Belmont Stakes picks to help you cash in on the third leg of the Triple Crown.
This Belmont Stakes betting guide provides advice on both the straight and exotic markets. We will help you find the best available odds on each runner, and explain how to handicap the race yourself if that appeals. Read on to discover our Belmont Picks and the reasons behind them.
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2024 Belmont Stakes Betting Odds – The Favorites
Bovada, BetUS, and MyBookie are four offshore sites currently offering futures betting odds on the Belmont Stakes. As you can see, they differ on most of the runners, so it is important to find the best line on a particular horse you want to bet on.
HorseMyBookieBovadaBetUSTapit TriceAngel Of EmpireNational Treasure
Red Route OneTapit ShoesIl Miracolo
These odds are liable to change as the Belmont Stakes approaches, but they were correct at the time of publishing.
Basketball Insiders’ Belmont Stakes Expert Picks
We have assessed the quality of each horse that will compete in the Belmont Stakes. After careful consideration, these are our top Belmont picks for 2023:
Our Belmont Stakes Pick to Win – Angel Of Empire
It is easy to see why the bookies make Forte favorite for the Belmont this year. He was most-fancied for the Kentucky Derby before a setback ruled him out of the race. While we last saw him enjoy Florida Derby success and that isn’t the most obvious of trials, he’s a multiple Grade 1 winner with a touch of class.
Forte is only one of the Belmont Stakes picks and fellow leading contender Angel Of Empire shaped very nicely when third at Churchill Downs. After coming around the final bend wide into the home stretch, Brad Cox’s Classic Empire colt was running into about tenth. He was never nearer the winner, Mage, than at the wire and beaten by just 1 1/2 lengths.
That run in the Kentucky Derby strongly suggests Angel Of Empire wants further. Blinders, or what the Brits call blinkers, now go on him for the first time. Cox said during the official Belmont Stakes draw for post position that Angel Of Empire, who has an outer stall in gate 8, has worked well in the headgear.
The barn won this race in 2021 with Essential Quality, so know what they have to do for success. Angel Of Empire become their second horse to make the show in the Kentucky Derby and improve for the extra quarter-mile race distance of the Belmont. With an eye on this race, plenty of handicappers know it’s always about the winner at Churchill Downs.
Our top pick:
- Angel Of Empire to win the Belmont Stakes @ +350 with Bovada
- A $10 bet would win $35 with total returns of $45.
Belmont Stakes Top 3 Picks
To Place – Tapit Trice
Besides the favorite, Todd Pletcher also runs Tapit Trice in search of a fifth win in the Belmont Stakes and fourth success for the barn since 2013. He showed a real tough attitude when victorious in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, which punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby.
Tapit Trice wasn’t going the pace to trouble anything home in front of him, though, but stayed on in the last 3/16s into seventh spot. He didn’t run up to market expectation at Churchill Downs but does have some handicappers hailing his credentials among expert Belmont Stakes picks despite that disappointment.
The case for Tapit Trice is largely based on delving into his thoroughbred pedigree. His sire, Tapit, has produced an impressive four Belmont Stakes winners since 2014. There is also stamina down the female line with damsire Dunkirk finishing second in this race back in 2009.
To Show – Red Route One
No assessment of who will make the show at Belmont Park should ignore Bob Baffert’s Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure, who showed guts and battled back when headed at Pimlico. However, at bigger futures and Morning Line odds, Red Route One makes for an interesting contender.
Also related to Tapit, who is his damsire, trainer Steven Asmussen has another crack at National Treasure with this Gun Runner colt over a longer distance. Red Route One just couldn’t quicken with the front three in the Preakness but still kept on nicely for fourth spot at Pimlico.
Some handicapper feel he will be even better over further, given there’s just five lengths between him and National Treasure with more than a quarter-mile longer to race over. The Asmussen barn enjoyed Belmont glory with Creator back in 2016, so they hope to pull off another upset at big odds.
Our picks:
- Tapit Trice to place in the Belmont Stakes
- Red Route One to show in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes Longshot Picks
One that could outrun his odds is the aforementioned Red Route One if building on his fourth in the Preakness following a Listed success at Oaklawn Park. Red Route One was also beaten by a similar margin when sixth to Angel Of Empire in the Arkansas Derby.
Another of the Belmont longshot picks to consider is Jena Antonucci’s grey colt Arcangelo. He punched his ticket to this race with a Grade 3 course victory in the Peter Pan Stakes when last in action. The Arrogate colt prevailed by a head following sustained duel up right to the wire from the top of the home stretch.
Arcangelo used his stamina, being out of a Tapit mare, to win the Peter Pan, so going up in trip shouldn’t be a problem. This is a big step up in grade from that but Tonalist doubled up in 2014, proving it can be done. Arcangelo may improved again for further.
Our picks:
- Arcangelo to win the Belmont Stakes @ +1400 with BetUS
- Red Route One to win the Belmont Stakes @ +1700 with BetUS
Belmont Stakes Exotic Picks
The Belmont Stakes is a very important horse racing event, as it marks the third leg of the Triple Crown. With a field of nice horses to select from this year, exotic picks will be in high demand. These are our recommendations:
Belmont Stakes 2023 Exacta Picks
The race that produces winners of this most is the Kentucky Derby and the best of that form is represented in this edition is Angel Of Empire, who stayed on into third. Next best in terms of their finishing effort at Churchill Downs going on the Belmont was Tapit Trice, who was home in seventh spot.
Both shaped like further would suit and that’s precisely what they get in New York here. Our Belmont Stakes picks for the Exacta, which bettors can put on as a Quinella instead if they wish, are as follows:.
Our picks:
- 1st: Angel Of Empire
- 2nd: Tapit Trice
The payout on Exacta bets will be revealed after the race. Last year, a $2 exacta on the Belmont paid $27.60 and $15 in 2021.
Belmont Stakes 2023 Trifecta Picks
We like National Treasure to join Angel Of Empire and Tapit Trice in our Trifecta Belmont horse picks. The Preakness hero showed he was a tough cookie when battling back to win at Pimlico, so this longer trip may well be within his range.
Our picks:
- 1st: Angel Of Empire
- 2nd: Tapit Trice
- 3rd: National Treasure
Last year, a $1 Trifecta bet on the Belmont paid $187.50, but a more modest $21.70 in 2021.
Belmont Stakes 2023 Superfecta Picks
Competing against horses that have shaped like genuine stayers, Forte finishing fourth is what our experts envisage. While there’s no doubting the race favorite’s classy credentials, he is going up significantly in distance. Handicappers have to consider this when making Belmont Stakes picks. Forte will find no hiding place stamina wise here, so he may have to settle for minor honors.
Our picks:
- 1st: Angel Of Empire
- 2nd: Tapit Trice
- 3rd: National Treasure
- 4th: Forte
The $1 superfecta on the Preakness Stakes 2021 paid $60.70, but more than 11 times that amount last year at $692.
Belmont Stakes 2023 Super Hi-Five Picks
Completing the set of Exotic bets is the Super Hi-Five and fifth spot can go to the longshot Red Route One. If the best form on offer is the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, then his keeping on fourth in the latter gives him claims of finishing in and around the market principals once again.
Our picks:
- 1st: Angel Of Empire
- 2nd: Tapit Trice
- 3rd: National Treasure
- 4th: Forte
- 5th: Red Route One
Our Top 3 Picks for the Belmont Stakes
These are our top picks for the Preakness Stakes 2023 based on the above information:
Pick 1: Angel Of Empire to Win the Belmont Stakes
The similarities between Brad Cox’s 2021 Belmont winner, Essential Quality, and the barn’s main contender this year in Angel Of Empire are spooky. Like that one two years ago, he made the show when promoted into third spot in the Kentucky Derby after staying on strongly.
That should generate a value payout when you consider what sportsbooks oddsmakers have the favorite at, who has the negative of a relative long break to overcome. Angel Of Empire is a leading contender now upped in trip. Bettors who want to play if safer could go for an across-the-board wager instead, but he’s our experts’ pick to win.
Pick 2: Angel Of Empire & Tapit Trice in a Belmont Stakes Quinella
No bettor or handicapper can ignore Todd Pletcher’s terrific record in the Belmont with three wins since 2013 and four overall. Therefore, Tapit Trice is very much in the mix for the race. He does have something to find with Angel Of Empire on the bare result of the Kentucky Derby, but is another who should be suited by this greater test of stamina.
Related to four Belmont Stakes winners through his sire and out of a mare produced by the 2009 Belmont Stakes second, Tapit Trice has the perfect pedigree for this race. Rather than risk an Exacta, however, a Quinella looks the smart play featuring both him and Angel Of Empire to fighting out the finish at Belmont Park.
Pick 3: Red Route One to Show in the Belmont Stakes
And last among our recommended Belmont Stakes pick is longshot Red Route One making the show. Third to the favorite Forte as a two-year-old in the Breeders’ Futurity in the fall, he has often shaped like a longer trip will suit. Red Route One could surprise a few and run better than his odds suggest.
Best Belmont Stakes Betting Sites
We have reviewed all the sites that are offering Belmont Stakes odds this year. Our team analyzed the strength of the fixed odds, the quality of the bonuses, payout speeds and reliability, and much more. These are the best Belmont Stakes betting sites in 2023:
5 Key Belmont Stakes Trends That Can Help You Pick the Winner
These key trends can help you make astute Belmont picks if you would like to handicap the race yourself:
1. Triple Crown Experience is Important
Over the past 25 years, more than two-thirds of Belmont Stakes winners had taken part in either the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, or both. It is unusual if the successful horse at Belmont Park comes from outside the Triple Crown scene. That could be a red flag against any horses that skipped Churchill Downs and Pimlico.
The typical trend is now for horses to contest the Kentucky Derby but not the Preakness, unless there’s a Triple Crown bid in the offing. Seven of the last 10 Belmont winners ran at Churchill Downs but five of those finished third or even further down the field, so it could pay to look at those out of the show.
2. Finishing Out of the Money in the Kentucky Derby is not a Problem
Almost half of the Belmont winners over the past 25 years ran in the Kentucky Derby and finished out of the money. Essential Quality defied that trend in 2021 by running third, but Mo Donegal was only fifth in Churchill Downs.
The strongest trend is that almost half of the Belmont winners over the past 25 years finished outside of the money in the Derby, and either skipped the Preakness or ran in it and finished in the money. The two-week turnaround from Churchill Downs to Pimlico is a big ask and only underlines how rare and special it is when a genuine Triple Crown bid materializes.
3. Stamina is Crucial
The Belmont Stakes is the longest of the Triple Crown races and it requires a great deal of stamina. We have seen lots of frontrunners pipped at the post after failing to stay the distance, including Smarty Jones and Real Quiet.
Look out for fast-finishing gallopers that have the past performances and running styles to suggest a step up in trip is within their reach. Angel Of Empire, Tapit Trice and Red Route One have all shaped in their careers to date like further would suit.
4. Treat the Peter Pan with Scepticism
The Peter Pan Stakes has always been a prep race option for the Belmont. However, since 1987, only two horses have managed to double-up and win both: A.P. Indy in 1992 and Tonalist in 2014.
Whilst it takes place at Belmont Park, it’s only a Grade 3 race over 1 1/8 miles, so the race is hardly ideal preparation for the rigors of The Test of a Champion. Arcangelo won the Peter Pan this year and is the pick of some handicappers.
5. Favorites Thrive at Belmont
Four of the past five Belmont Stakes favorites have won the race. That could spell good news for Forte, who is the clear favorite this time around. Prior to this recent trend, however, favorites struggled in this race, but that has all changed in recent times.
Each of the past 10 Belmont Stakes winners came from the top seven in the betting, so this is not a race for long-shots. If you are hoping to see a repeat of the scenes at this year’s Kentucky Derby, you may well be disappointed.
What are Belmont Stakes Picks?
Belmont Stakes picks provide bettors with advice on how the race will unfold. Expert handicappers will assess the strengths and weaknesses of each horse and rank them in descending order. The ultimate goal is to figure out who will win the race, or perhaps whether a runner will finish in the money.
Some sites give out Belmont picks for free. That is the case with this Belmont Stakes picks guide. Other handicappers will charge you for their Belmont picks. You should only pay for Belmont picks if you are confident in the credentials of the handicapper.
We would always recommend conducting your own research too. You can use Belmont picks as a guide and then delve into the runners’ past performances to ensure you ultimately agree with the advice.
Where to Find Belmont Stakes Expert Picks
We have laid out our Belmont Stakes picks for this year’s race, including straight and exotic Belmont picks. However, we understand that you might like to seek a second – and perhaps third and fourth – opinion.
CBS is a good resource for Belmont Stakes picks, and the official Kentucky Derby site will sometimes give out Belmont picks. You can also scour social media, but once again, you should establish a handicapper’s credentials before taking his or her advice.
How to Make Belmont Stakes Picks and Predictions
If you would like to come up with your own Belmont picks, these are some key areas to focus on:
- Class | It is important to look out for horses that have performed well in Grade 1 and Grade 2 races against elite opposition in the past. There is always a chance that an unheralded runner could come from out of nowhere and triumph, but it is safer to stick with tried and tested three-year-olds. For example, Forte has been first past the post in four Grade 1s in his career to date.
- Post Positions | Post 1 is the most successful in Belmont Stakes history, followed by Post 3, Post 4, and Post 2. The inside barriers are therefore historically advantageous, although recent winners have come from higher draws. Always consider potential track bias when making Belmont Stakes picks.
- Conditions | The track is normally fast at Belmont, but you can never fully rely on the East Coast weather, so check the forecast in the build-up to the race. If New York faces heavy rain, look out for horses that have thrived on a wet track in the past. A sloppy track tends to create a front-runner bias, which could suit certain horses.
- Style | Late closing horses often perform well in the Belmont. You regularly see an early pacesetter overtaken down the straight by a horse that rallies from deep in the field. Tactical speed can also be beneficial in this race.
- Staying Power | The most important characteristic for a Belmont Stakes winner is stamina. This is the longest race in the Triple Crown and it comes after an intense few months for the three-year-olds, so staying power is vital. Look out for horses that were looking for a longer trip when finishing strong in the Derby or the Preakness.
We would recommend claiming as many horse racing free bets as possible before the big race gets underway. Online sportsbooks give out free bets to new and existing customers to stand out from their rivals in the run-up to the Belmont, giving you a chance to bet with house money.
Picks and Parlays for the Belmont Stakes
A parlay allows you to combine multiple picks into a single wager. In horse racing, it is normally a daily double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6, featuring races taking place on the same day.
However, a common double at this time of year involves picking the winner of the Belmont Stakes and the Belmont Gold Cup. The latter is a Grade 2 event over two miles that takes place the day before the Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in New York.
More on horse racing betting…
If you would like to learn more about betting on the Preakness Stakes, check out the additional resources on these pages:
- Best Belmont Stakes betting sites – Discover the best online bookies for betting on the Belmont Stakes
- Belmont Stakes odds – Learn how to read Belmont Stakes odds and find the best lines on each contender this year
- How to bet on the Belmont Stakes – A thorough guide to the various betting options on the Belmont Stakes, and how to place a bet
- Best racebooks – An overview of the best racebooks for US and international thoroughbred racing
- Parimutuel betting – A guide to the system used to calculate dividends for horseplayers
- Pool betting – Learn more about the pool system that is used to calculate your winnings when you bet on horses
- Virtual horse racing – Discover the intriguing world of betting on RNG-controlled virtual horse races
Belmont Stakes Picks FAQs
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