Latest 2023 Belmont Stakes Odds
As the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes is a race that can create legends of the sport of horse racing. As sports betting in Kentucky heats up, we'll take an in-depth look at the $1.5m New York showpiece.
Here are the early 2023 Belmont Odds:
Forte is the early betting odds favorite for the 2023 Belmont Stakes, followed by several other familiar Kentucky Derby contenders including Tapit Trice and Angel of Empire.
Preakness winner National Treasure is also getting favorable early odds after spoiling any hope for Mage to win the 2023 Triple Crown. Mage is not expected to make the trip to run in Belmont.
While we won't get to see Mage face off with Forte at Belmont Park, who was the morning line favorite for the Kentucky Derby before being controversially scratched from the race because of a bruised foot, there are several interesting horses to watch.
Kentucky Derby third-place horse Angel Of Empire shouldn't be underestimated at Belmont, where the extended trip looks nailed on to suit this horse.
Angel Of Empire had to concede the first run to the winner at Churchill Downs but stayed on strongly all the way up the stretch. With better track position at Belmont and a fraction more luck in running could lead to a huge race for Angel of Empire.
We didn't get an outstanding performance in the Kentucky Oaks, where Pretty Mischievous scrambled home by a neck and the fillies don't look a great bunch this year, so it's unlikely that we will get a first female Belmont Stakes winner since Rags To Riches in 2007.
2023 Belmont Stakes Betting Odds Favorites
We are two down, one to play in terms of the 2023 Triple Crown races.
The Belmont Stakes is traditionally called 'The Test of the Champion' because it is by far the longest of the Triple Crown races at 1.5m (a full lap around the enormous Belmont main track).
Most three-year-olds are unaccustomed to the distance, and lack the experience, if not the stamina, to maintain a winning speed for so long.
In a long race such as the Belmont, the positioning of the horse and the timing of the move to chase for the lead can be critical.
Let's take a look at the top three Belmont Stakes contenders at this stage:
Forte
Forte had looked just about the best three-year-old colt around and he has twice finished in front of Kentucky Derby winner Mage, most recently in the Florida Derby.
Forte was controversially scratched from the Churchill Downs race over concerns of a bruised right front foot. The injury may have stemmed from a workout on Thursday where the colt stumbled on the track.
However, this four-time Grade 1 winner is clearly top class and, if he is fit and ready to roll, then he has to be on any 2023 Belmont Stakes shortlist.
Angel Of Empire
Assuming Angel Of Empire doesn't blot his copybook in the Preakness, then he looks sure to figure prominently at Belmont Park. Already a Grade 1 winner thanks to his romp in the Arkansas Derby, the Brad Cox-trained colt ran a screamer in the Kentucky Derby where he was forced to concede the first run to the winner but stayed on strongly all the way to the line.
The stiffer test of stamina at Belmont Park looks nailed on to suit him down to the ground so providing he gets a bit more luck in running, he'll be finishing his race better than most.
Kentucky Derby winner Mage, is not expected to run in the 2023 Belmont Stakes.
Belmont Stakes Odds To Watch
Forte is at the top of every early odds list and for good reason. All signs point to Forte running in the 2023 Belmont Stakes and if he does line up on June 10th, he will likely be the Morning Line favorite.
Angel of Empire is getting favorable early odds for the Belmont Stakes and looked good in the Kentucky Derby despite coming up short at the finish line. Belmont could prove to be a great redemption story for the Brad Cox trained horse.
The Belmont is a real stamina race, much more so than the Preakness, so any horse that is noted putting in good late work having not necessarily had the rub of the green earlier in the contest has to be of interest at Belmont Park.
The Preakness Stakes has been a decent contest for fillies over the years, but the Belmont not so much. Only 23 fillies have ever eve lined up at Belmont and Rags To Riches (2007) is the only filly to win the race since 1905.
Given what we've seen from the fillies so far in 2023, it will be a surprise if a female horse features in 2023 Belmont Stakes betting lists, when they are published.
Belmont Stakes Morning Line Odds
Official Belmont Stakes morning line odds will be released on Wednesday, June 7th and even though he was a race day scratch for the Kentucky Derby, all signs point to Forte emerging as the morning line favorite.
However, Forte isn't the only horse that didn't run at Churchill Downs that could emerge as a contender. The likes of National Treasure, Red Route One, and Arabian Lion are all possible fresh challengers.
Mage was not able to repeat his Kentucky Derby heroics in the Preakness Stakes, ultimately missing his opportunity for a shot at Triple Crown glory on June 10 and is not expected to enter the 2023 Belmont Stakes.
2023 Belmont Post Positions
Whatever the final field for the 2023 Belmont Stakes, it is worth remembering just how influential the post position can be. Horses coming out of gate 1 have won the Belmont Stakes on 23 occasions, which is TEN more times than ANY other gate.
National Treasure winning at Pimlico Racecourse on May 17 will likely have a major bearing on how bookmakers shape Belmont Stakes odds, but it's worth remembering that the Preakness Stakes is much more of a speed test than the 1.5m Belmont Stakes, which is a real test of any dirt three-year-old's stamina.
No Preakness Stakes winner has gone on to score at Belmont Park since Justify completed the Triple Crown in 2018.
Belmont Stakes 2023 Predictions
Mage is the one to beat from Churchill Downs but there is speculation that he will not be making the trip to Belmont Park. Angel Of Empire has a terrific chance of contending given he is going to relish the galloping nature of Belmont Park.
Mage got the first run on Angel Of Empire at Churchill Downs but a little more rub of the green can see the latter gain his revenge under what looks like his optimum conditions. He should be a solid each-way price when 2023 Belmont Stakes betting opens up and early odds have Angel of Empire at 4-1 to win the 2023 Belmont Stakes.
How To Bet on the 2023 Belmont Stakes Odds
The Belmont Stakes is one of the biggest prizes in horse racing and betting on the Belmont Park extravaganza is hugely popular in the build-up to the event.
Bettors have a number of options when it comes to big-race betting, ranging from futures betting via online sportsbooks to last-minute exotic wagers on the track.
Most 'clued-up' horse racing bettors tend to wait until post positions are announced because the last six winners have all come from a single-figure stall. If you take an early price and draw a wide gate, the odds on your selection will almost certainly drift so it often pays to wait until all the pieces of the Belmont Stakes jigsaw are in place.
Belmont Stakes Betting Types
Belmont Stakes Odds will vary greatly, from the short-priced favorite to the complete outsider of the field, which can often even a three-figure price on the board.
Bettors can choose to play individual win odds or combine runners in exotic wagers which normally yield a much bigger return, especially if one or more of the outsiders hits the frame.
The three main betting types are:
- Win - Your selection must hit the wire in front.
- Place - Lower odds than the win bet but you will collect if your selection finishes in the first two.
- Show - Similar to the place wager but you get three places instead of two.
The most common exotic type wagers are the following:
- Exacta - You must correctly predict the first and second, in the right order.
- Trifecta - Pick the first, second, and third in the correct order.
- Superfecta - This will likely pay huge odds because you must predict the first, second, third, and fourth, all in the correct order.
2023 Belmont Stakes Betting players can bet into the pari-mutuel pool (accessible online or on-track) or bet via one of the many online horse betting apps, provided you are in a state where online betting is now legal.
How to Read Belmont Stakes Odds
2023 Belmont Stakes Odds lists will be headed by the shortest-priced horse in the field, ie the horse with the highest theoretical chance of winning.
Normally, the list begins with the favorite and the list goes right down to the complete outsider - the horse with the smallest theoretical chance of winning.
If the odds are displayed as decimal, then a $10 straight win-only wager on a horse-trading at 4.0 would return $40. If a horse is 4/1, then that same bet would return $50, because the right-hand side of the fraction represents the stake, which is always returned.
Remember, if you the betting into the pari-mutuel pool, then the odds on the screen will be constantly changing as the amount bet into the pool increases. With that in mind, the price a horse goes off will often be different from that when you actually place your wager at the terminal.
Belmont Stakes Pari-Mutuel Betting System
Pari-mutuel betting is a pool-based betting system in which odds are reflective of the amount bet into the pool on that particular runner. The more money bet on a runner in any horse race, the shorter its odds will be, and vice versa.
Pari-mutuel betting can be more rewarding than betting fixed odds but there is always a danger of lower returns, so there is an element of risk involved.
Pari-mutuel betting on the Belmont Stakes will open up in the close build-up to the race and tends to be at its busiest in the final hour or so before post time.
It is best to wait as long as possible before placing a Pari-mutuel wager because the greater the liquidity in the pool, the more accurate the prices will be compared to the closing price.
Belmont Stakes Futures Betting
Belmont Stakes futures betting via a sportsbook app will appeal to those punters who think that the odds of their selection are going to shorten by post time, meaning they will be sitting on a 'value bet'.
Futures betting carries risk in that it is not certain whether your selection will even be declared to run - if that happens you are on a loser.
However, if you can beat the odds and back the 2023 Belmont Stakes winner then that is a double win!
Road To The Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes bettors will find more clues in the Kentucky Derby than they will in the more recent Preakness Stakes, which is a very different test, so much so that the last five Belmont Stakes winners didn't even make the line-up at Pimlico.
Races like the Florida Derby, won in 2023 by Forte, and the Bluegrass Stakes, won this year by Tapit Trice, who wasn't seen to best effect in the Kentucky Derby, have proved strong Belmont Stakes guides in recent years.
It is also no disadvantage to be proven around the wide expansive Belmont Park track and a race like the Peter Pan Stakes might only be a Grade 3 but it has thrown up horses that have taken well to the step up in grade in the Belmont Stakes, including 2019 winner Sir Winston.
As we approach race day, here's what you need to know about the race:
- 📍Location: Belmont Park (Elmont, NY)
- 🗓️ Date: June 10th, 2023
- 📺 TV: NBC Sports
- 🏇 Track Surface: Dirt
- 🧭 Track Distance: 1 1/2 miles (12 furlongs)
2022 Belmont Stakes Results
Mo Donegal provided trainer Todd Pletcher with a fourth Belmont Stakes success when he powered three lengths clear under Brad Ortiz Jr to reward 13/5 favorite backers in style.
Mo Donegal had been beaten almost four lengths in the Kentucky Derby but was never well placed in that race and the way he stayed on late strongly suggested the longer distance of the Belmont Staes would be right up his street. He never raced again.
Nest (53/10) made it a one-two for the trainer while Churchill Downs hero Rich Strike could manage only 6th.
History of the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is one of the most famous races in America and is the final leg of the fabled Triple Crown.
First run in 1867, the race was run at Jerome Park until 1890, when it moved to a nearby facility, Morris Park Racecourse. The first Belmont Stakes run at Belmont Park was in 1905.
The Belmont Stakes race was held at Aqueduct Racetrack from 1963 to 1967, while the track at Belmont was restored and renovated.
The first horse to complete the Triple Crown series, albeit not in the established order, was Gallant Fox in 1930.
Belmont Stakes Records
No horse has run the Belmont Stakes faster than legendary Triple Crown winner Secretariat's 2:24 in 1973. Secretariat also holds the record for the biggest winning margin (31 lengths).
James G. Rowe Sr remains the winning most trainer with eight Belmont Stakes wins between 1883 and 1913. He is also one of only two people to have won the race as a trainer and a jockey.
Todd Pletcher's four Belmont Stakes victories make him the most successful modern-day trainer.
The 2004 edition of the race attracted the biggest attendance in the park's history, with 120,139 horse racing fans in attendance.
Belmont Stakes Odds FAQ
Forte (3-1) is the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 Belmont Stakes. Tapit Trice (7-2) and Angel of Empire (4-1) are also getting favorable early odds to win at Belmont. Official morning line odds will be released in the week leading up to the race.
Forte, Tapit Trice, and Angel of Empire are the early favorites for the 2023 Belmont Stakes. Preakness winner National Treasure is expected to be a top contender while Kentucky Derby winner Mage is not expected to enter the race.
Betting on the 2023 Belmont Stakes is not yet available across online sportsbooks in the US. Prices should begin to go live after the Preakness Stakes and there is a greater understanding of which horses are likely to head to New York.
2022 Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal was sent off a 13/5 favorite on the board, so a $100 wager would have returned $260 + the $100 stake, so $360 in total.
The 155th running of the Belmont Stakes will be shown live across the NBC network.
The Belmont Stakes is traditionally held on the first or second Saturday in June and in 2023 the Test Of Champions takes place on Saturday, June 10.
Mo Donegal didn't get the rub of the green when only fifth in the Kentucky Derby but he sure made amends at Belmont Park, where he powered clear in the stretch to score by an emphatic three lengths, justifying his position at the top of 2022 Belmont Stakes Betting.
Author
Gavin Beech is a writer and contributor for BetKentucky.com and has worked in the betting industry for almost 20 years. Gavin is an experienced horse racing journalist, sports betting content writer and tipster. He has worked for some of the biggest online operators around, notably MailOnline and the Racing Post, where he is a regular on the Live Tipster slot.
