2019 Belmont Stakes Betting Guide

The 151st running of the Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday night at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Belmont Park is traditionally known as “The Championship Track” because just about every significant American champion in the history of horse racing has taken part in a race here. The Belmont Stakes runs 1 ½ miles long and is called “The Test of the Champion” because it is the longest of the three parts of the Triple Crown. The record time remains 2:24, set by Secretariat as part of his Triple Crown victory in 1973. We have a horse betting preview for each of the ten horses taking part this year, with post position, odds and our thoughts about their chances to win the 2019 Belmont Stakes.

2019 Belmont Stakes Betting Guide

#1 Joevia

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 30/1

Coming in off the rail, Joevia could be the pacesetter in the early going and could push hard to make the board. He won in a graded stakes race in May at Monmouth Park, which represented significant improvement from an 11th place result in his first graded stakes race at the Grade 2 Wood Memorial. If it rains and produces a sloppy track, his chances will only improve.

#2 Everfast

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 12/1

Everfast won his debut — but has not win since. Even so, he did finish second at the Preakness Stakes, closing from a 22-length disadvantage to ride the rail to that runner-up position. His chances improve with a fast track and a lack of traffic jams.

#3 Master Fencer

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 8/1

Master Fencer’s first North American race was the Kentucky Derby, and he did not disappoint, closing from a 23-length gap to push past some flagging horses and finish in seventh (adjusted to sixth after Maximum Security’s disqualification). He’s a closer — his last quarter-mile at Churchill Downs was 24.60 seconds, almost a second better than any other Kentucky Derby runners who are appearing in the Belmont Stakes.

#4 Tax

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 15/1

Tax did not run well in the slop at Churchill Downs. He has great post position here, so if he can get out to a solid pace while holding enough to finish fast, this is a dark horse who could pay off big time.

#5 Bourbon War

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 12/1

Bourbon War came in second to Code of Honor at the Fountain of Youth and finished fourth at the Florida Derby. His Preakness Stakes effort was forgettable, but the fact that his trainer put blinkers on him may have contributed to that poor result. He will have Mike Smith riding him this time — a three-time Belmont winner in 2010, 2013 and last year on Triple Crown winner Justify.

#6 Spinoff

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 15/1

His runner-up result at the Louisiana Derby has been his best race in his career; at Churchill Downs, he took a wide path and did not do well in the slop. He is an early pusher, wanting to use his speed to get to the front early. He does tend to flag later on, which could be an issue on this long course.

#7 Sir Winston

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 12/1

Sir Winston impressed with his runner-up finish at the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park, hitting a career best speed figure of 101. If he can get out to a similar pace to start at the Belmont Stakes, he is another horse with big odds who could lead to a sizable payday by hitting the board.

#8 Intrepid Heart

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 10/1

Intrepid Heart’s biggest bullet point is his lineage, as his father, Tapit, has sired three of the last five Belmont Stakes winners. He has not raced as many as some of the other entrants, and so his legs could be fresher. If you just look at his times, they are not all that different from some of the favorites, so this could be a solid bet.

#9 War of Will

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 2/1

Only 11 other horses have won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes after failing to win the Kentucky Derby, and War of Will is riding to become the 12th. He will suffer if the opening pace is too quick, because he has not shown the stamina to hold off closers. With the low odds here, I would look elsewhere.

#10 Tacitus

• 2019 Belmont Stakes Odds: 9/5

Tacitus’ finest race has been the Wood Memorial Stakes, where he got off to the right start and then blew away the leaders coming down the stretch. The slop may have hurt him at Churchill Downs; in this race, if he can hang right behind the leaders and then finish big down the stretch, he should live up to his promise.