Belmont Stakes Betting News

2021 will mark the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes. There are numerous opportunities to bet on the Belmont Stakes online, at a sportsbook, or maybe even in person at Belmont Park in New York. Traditionally, the Belmont is the final leg of the Triple Crown series, following the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. This page gives you all the key information you need to make smart picks when Belmont Stakes betting and (hopefully) make some coin.

If this is your first time betting on the Belmont Stakes, you can also read our How To Bet Guide that can walk you through the process to get set up for Belmont Stakes betting online.

Broadcast Dates and Key Belmont Stakes Betting Info

In 2020, the Belmont was run nearly three months before both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes (moved to the fall) because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, however, it will return to its normal racing schedule.

See Odds Shark’s Best Belmont Stakes Betting Sites

The main course at Belmont Park is 1 1/2 Miles long, with the last turn on the track being 1,097 feet.

Looking for Belmont Stakes Betting Tips?

Belmont Stakes betting is pretty simple. All you need to learn to bet on the Belmont Stakes online is knowledge of the different Belmont Stakes betting options and some research on the horses themselves. Below, we’ll explore the type of bets you can make and how to read odds for 2021 Belmont Stakes betting.

Futures Bets

If you can correctly predict who will win the Belmont Stakes early, you could see yourself on the winning end of a great bet. Futures are horse bets you can make at Belmont Stakes betting sites well in advance of a big event.

We use American odds but you can pick Fractional (1/5) or Decimal (1.20) odds if you prefer. Your location generally determines the odds type. Bettors in Europe and Australia tend to like decimals, whereas those in the U.K. use fractions. In North America, you’ll usually find American odds.

With Belmont Stakes betting, favorites are always shown with the minus sign (-) and underdogs have plus signs (+) beside their odds. This is universal across all online wagering sites.

At -140, oddsmakers gave Tiz The Law a 58.3 percent shot at winning. If you laid down $100 on Tiz The Law, you’d get a payout of $171.43 if he had won – your $100 is returned along with your winnings of $71.43.

On the other hand, a long-shot $100 bet on a horse like Dr. Post at +900 (10 percent chance) would've paid out $1,000 – your original money comes back coupled with your winnings of $900. Because this was considered a risky bet, the reward was greater.

To see how much you’d win based on the odds offered and the amount wagered, check out our Odds Calculator. You’ll also see the percentage chances that oddsmakers are giving each Belmont Stakes horse of winning.

See Odds Shark’s Best Horse Racing Betting Sites

Win, Place, Show

Akin to the moneyline in other sports, this is a set of three bets rolled into one where you would pick a horse to win, another to come in second (place), and the last to come in third (show). Win, place, show bets require accuracy since you will need to correctly predict the positions of three horses.

Exacta, Trifecta and Quinella Betting

To make an exacta bet, you’ll need to guess the top two finishers in the Stakes in the right order. To place a trifecta bet, you’ll need to determine the first-, second- and third-place horses. A quinella bet is a little simpler since you have to forecast two horses to finish first and second but they don’t have to be in the correct order.

Horse Matchup

If you're unsure how to bet on the Belmont Stakes, you can narrow down the field with horse matchup betting, which allows you to choose two horses. They don’t need to win outright, but they do need to come in the order of your choosing. For instance, if you bet that Dr. Post will finish before Mischievous and that happens, you win your bet. Neither horse needs to come in first, they just have to beat the other in match races.

Handicapping Your Belmont Stakes Bets

The Belmont Stakes is known as “The Test of the Champion” because ordinarily the longer track distance of 1.5 miles historically puts faster horses at a disadvantage. However, with the reduced track length, endurance may not be a key factor for races like these along with handicapping a horse’s pace.

• Pressers/Stalkers: These are horses that come from behind. They may look slow at first but move swiftly to pass their opponents.

• Front-runners: These stallions start strong and keep a steady pace throughout the race. This is not to say that they can’t outrun their rivals if necessary, they’re just better at managing their strides to stay in the race.

• Closers: This is the name for horses that start slow and gain momentum as the big race comes to a head.

Besides pace, knowing a horse’s position on the track can also help you make smart bets. Steeds that start the race closer to the inside of the track have a shorter distance to run.

2020 Belmont Stakes Race Results and Payouts

Belmont Stakes History

The Belmont Stakes was first held at Jerome Park and then Morris Park before landing at Belmont Park in 1905. Ranging from 1 1/8 miles to 1 5/8 miles, the current run distance of 1 1/2 miles, or one lap around the oval, was settled in 1926. By and large modeled on the Derby Stakes at Epsom Downs in England, the Belmont Stakes was restricted to colts and fillies only for a period.

The Belmont Stakes has produced some of the most epic performances in the sport’s history, especially with Triple Crown winners. Another record that still stands is when Count Fleet walloped two rivals by 25 lengths in 1943.

In 1989, Easy Goer won the Belmont Stakes in a winning time of 2:26, which was the second fastest 12-furlong clocking in race history. In 1992, A.P. Indy, a son of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and a grandson of Secretariat, won the Belmont Stakes in 2:26.13. In 1988, Secretariat’s best son, Risen Star, won in 2:26.40.

Belmont Stakes Upsets

Because the Belmont Stakes is so demanding and has such a unique distance compared to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, we’ve seen some pretty shocking results where Triple Crown sweeps have ultimately been denied.

In 1944, Pensive’s chance at a sweep was barely denied by a 16-1 Bounding Home. Other longshot Belmont Stakes winners that cut Triple Crown dreams were Sherluck in 1961 at 65-1, Pass Catcher in 1971 at 34-1, Lemon Drop Kid in 1999 at 29-1, Sarava in 2002 at 70-1, Birdstone in 2004 at 36-1, and Da’ Tara in 2008 at 38-1.

Belmont Stakes Records

The record for most Belmont Stakes victories belongs to James Rowe with eight, which was accomplished between 1883 and 1913. Having said that, Woody Stephens’s run of five consecutive Belmont Stakes from 1982-86 is still very much considered one of the more astonishing, and most challenging training feats in Belmont Stakes racing history.

Females, both horses and humans, have made their mark at the Belmont Stakes. The inaugural running of the race was won by the filly Ruthless, who was then followed by another filly in Tanya in 1905. It was 102 years thereafter before another filly, Rags to Riches, out-finished the fellas, upsetting Horse of the Year Curlin in 2007 in the process. Julie Krone winning aboard Colonial Affair in the 1993 Belmont Stakes remains as the only female jockey to win a Triple Crown event.

Belmont Stakes Betting: Odds and Ends