National Treasure (right) is one of our Belmont Stakes Picks.
Horse Racing

Belmont Stakes Picks & Best Bets: National Treasure To Win Again

This year see's the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes and this year's renewal of the Belmont Stakes looks like being a really interesting race. Last year saw Mo Donegal emerge victorious and it will need a similar star performance to win the race this time around.

Forte was the favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby and also the triple crown, but he sustained an injury just before the race and was scratched. He was then put on a 14-day vets list which meant he could not run in the second leg, the Preakness Stakes.

It robbed his fans and all racing fans of possibly seeing the 14th triple crown champion but having the Todd Pletcher-trained colt in this final leg certainly gives the race plenty of spice.

His resume as the champion juvenile (two-year-old) last season is solid, was carried forward this year, and until that injury he was unbeaten and it will take a good horse to beat him in this final leg of the triple crown.

But who are the horses taking him on June 10, and can one of those break his unbeaten run this season?

When is the Belmont Stakes?

The 2023 Belmont Stakes post time is 6:50 pm ET on Saturday, June 10.

Belmont Stakes Field And Final Draw

We are a week away from the race and the list of probables for the race is now down to 10 foes who will do battle on Saturday. This could change but this looks the likely field.

We are awaiting the final draw but will update that as soon as post positions are published.

  • Angel of Empire (+350) - Brad Cox - Flavien Prat
  • Arcangelo (+600) - Jena Antonucci - Javier Castellano
  • Forte (+225) - Todd Pletcher - Irad Ortiz, Jr.
  • Hit Show (+600) - Brad Cox - Manny Franco
  • Il Miracolo (N/A) - Antonio Sano - Marcos Meneses
  • National Treasure (+600) - Bob Baffert - John Velazquez
  • Raise Cain (+1600) - Ben Colebrook - Junior Alvarado
  • Red Route One (+2000) - Steve Asmussen - Joel Rosario
  • Tapit Shoes (N/A) - Brad Cox - TBA
  • Tapit Trice (+400) - Todd Pletcher- Luis Saez

Belmont Stakes Picks & Best Bets

The big question for many people watching the Belmont Stakes on Saturday is what type of bet should they be placing. Let’s look at some of the common bet types and also give you four horses for Belmont Stakes exotics.

Win Selection

We still have to wait for the draw to be announced but we are certainly not with the chalk Forte. Yes, he could well win but National Treasure looks sure to go very close here after his Preakness win. We loved his attitude that day and he can top the pile here.

Win, Place & Show (Across The Board)

Picking a horse or horses that can grab a slice but also have a chance of winning and grabbing a horse with big odds is a great bet on the Belmont Stakes, and well worth the small $6 investment if you are just playing for fun.

Our two that could go very well, and will be suited by the extra distance are Red Route One and Arcangelo.

Red Route One has run well all season and he'll be one of the strongest stayers here, while Arcangelo, who won the Peter Pan Stakes last time, is another who has already shown how strong he is late in races, and he could surprise a few people.

Our final pick and one that will be very difficult to keep off the board is Angel of Empire. He skipped The Preakness to come here and should have been nicely freshened since the Kentucky Derby.

Exotics

Exotics are a great fun bet and can pay huge dividends for a small wager.

So our four to include in boxed exactas and trifectas are:

  • National Treasure
  • Angel Of Empire
  • Arcangelo
  • Red Route One

What can the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes tell us?

ANGEL OF EMPIRE - Third in The Kentucky Derby

Angel Of Empire was strong, closing third in the Kentucky Derby, and based on that he looks probable to stay this extra distance. He undoubtedly has the class to win and is the one that handicappers are expecting to give the chalk Forte the most to do.

HIT SHOW - Fifth in The Kentucky Derby

His run in the Kentucky Derby was probably a career-best but he was probably the best placed in that race and still could not beat Angel Of Empire. The extra distance does give some upside but he is another who might just not have the class to win this.

TAPIT TRICE - Seventh in The Kentucky Derby

The Todd Pletcher-trained colt has a habit of starting very slowly which puts him squarely on the back foot. He managed to get a good position in the Derby coming out of the far turn but did not pick up as many would have expected. There has to be a question mark if he has the class to win this.

RAISE CAIN - Eighth in the Kentucky Derby

Ran a career-best in the Derby but another who got a good early position being settled in mid-pack. However, he did meet pretty severe traffic problems and would have definitely finished in the sixth spot. He looks like a good exotic being a big-priced longshot here but has a chance of grabbing a slice underneath.

National Treasure - Won the Preakness Stakes

The Preakness produced one of the battles of the season as National Treasure battled gamely to defy Blazing Sevens and that is probably the best piece of recent form. It would be no surprise to see the Baffert runner take this. He has always been a talented horse but has come of age as a three-year-old and we selected him as our across-the-board bet for the Preakness.

Red Route One - Fourth in the Preakness Stakes

Probably one of the strongest stayers in the field and he should not be discounted even though he has around five lengths to make up with National Treasure. The pace in the Preakness was not quick enough for him and the extra distance in The Belmont Stakes gives this one plenty of upside.

Back to Top