2018 Belmont Stakes Information, TV Schedule, Entry List & Odds

This Saturday marks the 150th running of the Belmont Stakes, from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Justify enters as the favorite, having already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes and now looking to become just the 13th horse ever to win a Triple Crown. We have some horse racing betting insights for you as to how you can bet on this race, including some basic information about how to find the broadcast as well as our perspectives on several of the horses taking part.

2018 Belmont Stakes Information, TV Schedule, Entry List, Odds

“Belmont Park wants you to bet on more than just its biggest race” Yes, yes we do. https://t.co/CbWLLtP6Va

— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 4, 2018

2018 Belmont Stakes Television Schedule

• Friday, June 8             Pre-Race Coverage/Undercard Races          NBC Sports     5-6pm ET
• Saturday, June 9        Pre-Race Coverage/Undercard Races          NBC Sports     2-4pm ET
• Saturday, June 9        Pre-Race Coverage/Belmont Stakes             NBC                4-7:15pm ET

2018 Belmont Stakes Contenders and Odds

• Justify                                     4/5
• Hofburg                                   4/1
• Bravazo                                   7/1
• Vino Rosso                              8/1
• Tenfold                                                10/1
• Blended Citizen                       14/1
• Gronkowski                             25/1
• Noble Indy                               33/1
• Free Drop Billy                        50/1

The course at the Belmont Stakes is the longest of the three races in the Triple Crown, at 1 ½ miles. While Justify did blow past the competition at Churchill Downs, and while Bravazo and Tenfold couldn’t catch him down the stretch at Pimlico, they were coming hard, and it’s hard to say that they wouldn’t have found him and passed him on a longer course. However, if you want to say (as many are) that winning the Preakness took a lot out of Justify, you’d also have to say that the hard charge down the home stretch had to have drained the other two contenders as well. Also, if you look at the tap from the gallop-out after the finish line from the Preakness, it’s not like Bravazo and Tenfold just left Justify in the dust either. So it’s hard to argue for either of those as a top contender for Justify at Belmont, and that’s why we see Hofburg in second position in the odds list, as the thinking here is that the fact that Hofburg did not run at the Preakness gives him fresher legs. Training gossip has it that Hofburg has been dominating his training at Saratoga, just up the road from Belmont. However, trainers are also saying that Justify is still whipping Bravazo and Tenfold as they train together down at Churchill Downs. The fact that Justify  may have been tired down the stretch at Preakness should not really be all that alarming, given that the rest of the field was drained as well. The fact that Justify brings both size (almost 17 hands) and that he also has a strong, muscular build makes him a double threat. He can hold his own on the rail, but he has the power to keep at that rail without letting anyone around him. That strength should not fade over the 1 ½ miles at Belmont, as it might in other horses. Then there’s also the intangible element of the race — the fact that Justify simply has not lost anywhere and shows that he wants to win each time out, tired or not. That’s definitely a factor to consider as you put your wagers together.

2018 Belmont Stakes Betting Prediction

Obviously, we’re still waiting for the drawing of the post positions, which will affect the odds to some degree. Also, review the up-to-date injury and training reports before you lock in any wagers. However, given the stature that Justify brings and the fact that no one has really pushed him from wire to wire in any of his races to this point, it’s hard to argue against him at Belmont. There is, of course, the argument of history — the fact that only 12 other horses have won Triple Crowns — but there’s also the fact that he ended the Curse of Apollo, a trend which had dated back to 1882.