2026 Belmont Stakes odds, date, predictions: Expert who hit 4 of last 8 winners makes horse racing picks
The 2026 Belmont Stakes will be contested on Saturday, June 6, over 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga Race Course. It marks the third straight year the Upstate New York track is hosting the Third Jewel of the Triple Crown while Belmont Park undergoes a major rebuild. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness and will look to complete a two-leg sweep, even without Preakness champion Napoleon Solo in the mix. Trainer Cherie DeVaux, who made history as the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, was born in Saratoga Springs.
Golden Tempo rallied from last under Jose Ortiz to win the Kentucky Derby at 23-1, and he enters at 3-1 in the 2026 Belmont Stakes odds. The favorite is Derby runner-up Renegade at 2-1, with Chief Wallabee (9-2), Commandment (6-1), and Emerging Market (8-1) also among the top contenders. Before making any 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, be sure to see the 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions and best bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 11 of the last 22 Preakness winners and predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last eight years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Belmont Stakes field set, Demling is sharing his 2026 Belmont Stakes betting picks and 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions
One notable surprise from Demling's detailed writeup at SportsLine: Golden Tempo is not part of his Belmont Stakes picks. The Curlin colt pulled off a stunning last-to-first rally at Churchill Downs, but DeVaux herself has acknowledged that the setup at Saratoga is unlikely to mirror the hot pace that made that kind of move possible. With a softer pace expected in the Belmont, Golden Tempo may not get the same invitation to close, and Demling does not trust that the horse can win a different kind of race.
Golden Tempo had failed to crack the top two in either of his two starts before Churchill Downs, including a pair of third-place finishes in Grade 2 company that did not suggest a classic winner in the making. His five-week rest is similar to the approach before the Derby, but those races at that same spacing produced flat efforts. See which horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an epic longshot who "will make a big jump" to win it all. Anyone who backs this sleeper pick could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Belmont Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Belmont Stakes 2026, and which stunning longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Belmont Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who has nailed four of the last eight winners.
2026 Belmont Stakes odds
HorseOddsProjectionRenegade2-1SEE PICKSGolden Tempo3-1SEE PICKSChief Wallabee9-2SEE PICKSCommandment6-1SEE PICKSEmerging Market8-1SEE PICKSPoweshift12-1SEE PICKSGrowth Equity15-1SEE PICKSOcelli20-1SEE PICKSOttinho20-1SEE PICKSVitruvian Man30-1SEE PICKS
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