2023 Belmont Stakes Odds
This is the official field for the 2023 Belmont Stakes, including post positions, trainer, jockey, and morning line odds for each horse in the field.| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tapit Shoes | Brad Cox | Jose Ortiz | 20-1 |
| 2 | Tapit Trice | Todd Pletcher | Luis Saez | 3-1 |
| 3 | Arcangelo | Jena Antonucci | Javier Castellano | 8-1 |
| 4 | National Treasure | Bob Baffert | John Velazquez | 5-1 |
| 5 | Il Miracolo | Antonio Sano | Marcos Meneses | 30-1 |
| 6 | Forte | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 5-2 |
| 7 | Hit Show | Brad Cox | Manny Franco | 10-1 |
| 8 | Angel of Empire | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat | 7-2 |
| 9 | Red Route One | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 15-1 |
Make sure to follow FanDuel and TVG for information all the way until post-time for the final leg of the Triple Crown. The odds on each of the horses are not final until the starting gate flings open, so this is the way to not only keep up on the latest news on each horse, but also track the odds and make sure you have the latest news. After all, horse racing is a game of information!
2023 Belmont Stakes Field
These are the nine horses who entered the Test of the Champion. When handicapping the race, you will make the best decision if you get to know the form of each horse, as well as key facts about their trainers and jockeys. That way, you can look at their chances of winning from all the right angles, and you can bet the horse whose Belmont Stakes odds give you the right amount of betting value.Post 1: Tapit Shoes (20-1 ML)
Tapit Shoes has a lot of class to prove, as his only stakes race to date had him just missing behind Red Route One in the Bath House Row at Oaklawn. However, in a race without a lot of speed, Tapit Shoes can get a good trip if he breaks well from the fence. As his name would suggest, he is a son of Belmont Stakes super stallion Tapit; he is a half-brother to Cyberknife, who did his best work at nine furlongs, meaning he has some chance to get the Belmont trip.Trainer: Tapit Shoes is the first of three entrants for trainer Brad Cox. One of the younger trainers at the top echelon of the game, Cox has ascended quickly in the last decade. He has won two classic races to date: his horse Mandaloun won the 2021 Kentucky Derby after Medina Spirit was disqualified, and his horse Essential Quality won the 2021 Belmont Stakes after being the previous year’s juvenile champion.
Jockey: Jose Ortiz, who enters Belmont Stakes week as the leading rider at Belmont Park, takes the call on Tapit Shoes. That experience and good recent form over Big Sandy give Tapit Shoes an edge. He has two three-year-old classic race wins: the 2022 Preakness with Early Voting, and the 2017 Belmont with Tapwrit. He has also been second in the Belmont three times, including with longshot Gronkowski in 2018, meaning he can move a horse forward in the Test of the Champion.
Post 2: Tapit Trice (3-1 ML)
One of two for trainer Todd Pletcher, Tapit Trice will attempt to bounce back from a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. He was riding high after wins in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and the Blue Grass (G1), though he was outfinished by Mage, Angel of Empire, Hit Show, and others, only finishing seventh in the end. His late-running style may have him in tough, though his pedigree for the Belmont distance is one of the better in the field.Trainer: Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Belmont Stakes four times, the most winners of any trainer in this year’s race. Though his first winner, Rags to Riches, came out of a Kentucky Oaks score, his other three Belmont Stakes past winners all finished midpack in the Kentucky Derby: Mo Donegal (5th), Tapwrit (6th), and Palace Malice (12th). He knows how to get a horse fit for the Belmont, especially after a tilt in the Derby, and has good judgment for who can stay the trip.
Jockey: Luis Saez, who has piloted Tapit Trice in his last four starts, has an ascending big-race profile in recent years. After being disqualified from the Kentucky Derby in 2019 (he rode Maximum Security that year), he only has one Triple Crown race win: but that did come in the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality. Though he is not riding at Belmont regularly this meet, he has ridden the course enough to know how to time a move, which is important.
Post 3: Arcangelo (8-1 ML)
Arcangelo has class to prove in the Belmont, as his only stakes race was the Peter Pan (G3) last out, where he outslugged Bishops Bay to win. Though he needs to prove himself against tougher company, that win proved that Arcangelo can handle the Belmont Park footing. On pedigree, he has the best 1 ½ mile breeding in the race: he is by Arrogate out of a Tapit mare from the female line of Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches.Trainer: Jena Antonucci sends out her first-ever starter in a Triple Crown race with Arcangelo, who is only the second graded-stakes winner of her career. However, she has been out on her own as a trainer for over a decade, mainly on the Florida circuit, and does tend to place her horses realistically.
Jockey: Javier Castellano rode Arcangelo in both his maiden victory and his win in the Peter Pan. A four-time Eclipse winner and a 2017 Hall of Fame inductee, Castellano is no stranger to the biggest races. Though his classic race wins include one Kentucky Derby (this year with Mage) and two editions of the Preakness, he has yet to win the Belmont. But, he has been third in the Belmont Stakes three times, most recently with Destin in 2016.
Post 4: National Treasure (5-1 ML)
Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure was one of the better horses in his class through his juvenile and early sophomore seasons, often hitting the board in graded stakes but not breaking through for a win until the second jewel of the Triple Crown. He got an easy trip up front in the Preakness, but he has a good chance to dictate terms again if he can stay the 1 ½-mile trip.Trainer: 2009 Hall of Fame inductee Bob Baffert has won the Belmont three times: with Preakness winner Point Given and then with his Triple Crown winners, American Pharoah and Justify. He has been synonymous with the three-year-old classics since the 1990s, and even though he has yet to win the Belmont with a horse who did not run in the Kentucky Derby, his Preakness winners who come to Belmont often run well.
Jockey: John Velazquez has ridden National Treasure for all but one of his starts, and made the most of National Treasure’s early speed to take the Preakness. A 2012 inductee to the Hall of Fame, Velazquez has won seven Triple Crown races, including the Belmont Stakes in 2007 with Rags to Riches and in 2012 with Union Rags.
Post 5: Il Miracolo (30-1 ML)
He comes into the Belmont Stakes off of a win, but that victory came in allowance company going the one-turn mile at Gulfstream. His early speed is an asset in a race without a lot of front-end gas, but it is a serious concern that both of his wins have come at one-turn miles, and he has been well beaten in anything longer, and in all of his stakes starts.Trainer: Antonio Sano, has been a Florida mainstay for over a decade. He has seven graded-stakes wins so far, though none at the Grade 1 level. His best showing in a Triple Crown race was in 2022 when Simplification ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby; he also trained the multiple Grade 1- and Group 1-placed dirt router Gunnevera.
Jockey: Like Il Miracolo’s trainer, his rider Marcos Meneses is a Florida mainstay. He has ridden regularly since 2015; in that time, he has a single graded win, in the 2020 Hal’s Hope (G3) with Identifier. His only ride on the main track at Belmont came in the 2022 Astoria Stakes, a 5 ½-furlong sprint; his lack of experience riding routes on the Belmont Park dirt may put him at a disadvantage.
Post 6: Forte (5-2 ML)
Forte missed the Kentucky Derby after being scratched the morning of the race due to a foot bruise that was still healing. Though a missed start is never the best thing to see coming into a Triple Crown race, Forte has been training regularly since the scratch. He carries a five-win streak into the Belmont, including victories in three Grade 1 races at age two, as well as the Fountain of Youth (G2) and the Florida Derby (G1) at age three. He tends to rally from midpack or the rear, but has been able to close up a lot of late ground like he did against eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mage in the Florida Derby.Trainer: Like Tapit Trice, Forte is trained by four-time Belmont-winning trainer Todd Pletcher. Though Tapit Trice fits the profile of Pletcher’s previous Belmont winners more than Forte does, Forte still excels from a class perspective, and Pletcher’s knowledge of how to train a horse to be Belmont Stakes ready still helps Forte’s case.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr. is Forte’s regular rider, and he takes the call again in the Belmont. Ortiz rides regularly in New York, and he knows how to time a move over the Belmont course. He is also a two-time Belmont Stakes winner already: he won in 2016 with Creator and 2022 with Mo Donegal, the latter while partnered with Pletcher.
Post 7: Hit Show (10-1 ML)
The second of three from the Brad Cox barn, Hit Show won his stakes debut in the Withers (G3) in February. Despite being the beaten favorite in the Wood (G1) next out at Aqueduct, he outran his odds to finish a chasing fifth behind Mage in the Kentucky Derby. Though he was losing some ground on the top three finishers late, he was sitting in relatively close range of a quick pace, meaning that the likely slower pace in the Belmont helps him.Trainer: Like Tapit Shoes and Angel of Empire, he is trained by Brad Cox, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2021 with Essential Quality.
Jockey: Manuel Franco, who comes into Belmont week as the third-leading rider at Belmont Park, takes the call on Hit Show. Franco has been in the irons for Hit Show’s last three starts. He won a 1 ⅛-mile edition of the Belmont Stakes with Tiz the Law in 2020, though he also finished third in last year’s race at the traditional distance with Skippylongstocking.
Post 8: Angel of Empire (7-2 ML)
After the scratch of Forte at Churchill Downs, Angel of Empire went off the favorite in the Kentucky Derby. Though he was defeated by Mage and Two Phil’s, he was finishing well and gaining ground on the leading pair through the final furlong. That is a positive sign for wanting to try this longer trip, as is the fact that he just kept getting better through the Risen Star (G2) and the Arkansas Derby (G1), as he geared up for classic season.Trainer: Like Tapit Shoes and Hit Show, he is trained by Brad Cox.
Jockey: Flavien Prat rode Angel of Empire in both the Arkansas Derby and the Preakness Stakes, and returns to the irons for the Belmont Stakes. Prat was long known as a turf rider, but has proven his abilities on dirt as well. He won the Derby in 2019 with Country House and the Preakness in 2021 with Rombauer; though he has yet to win the Belmont, he was second in 2021 with Hot Rod Charlie. He has also been sharp during the current Belmont Park meet, with 11 wins in 53 starts going into Belmont week.
Post 9: Red Route One (15-1 ML)
Red Route One spent last fall and this spring as the consummate underneath type on the Derby trail, though a disappointing sixth in the Arkansas Derby led to a re-route toward the Bath House Row Stakes. He won that race over Tapit Shoes, earning a bid to the Preakness. He finished fourth in that race, with his closing style disadvantaged by a slow early pace. He has an interesting distance pedigree, but may run into pace issues again.Trainer: Red Route One is trained by Steve Asmussen, the all-time winningest North American trainer and 2016 inductee to the Hall of Fame. Asmussen has hit the board 13 times in three-year-old classics, but only won three of those. He won the Preakness in 2007 with Curlin and 2009 with Rachel Alexandra, and upset the 2016 Belmont Stakes with Creator. Curlin missed by just a nose in the 2007 Belmont, behind star filly Rags to Riches.
Jockey: Joel Rosario is an experienced Belmont rider, and he won an Outstanding Jockey Eclipse in 2021. He has won three Triple Crown races including two editions of the Belmont Stakes, with Tonalist in 2014 and Sir Winston in 2019. With four other money finishes in the Test of the Champion, he knows more than most about how to ride a mile and a half at Big Sandy.
Air seems a lot better today.
Hopefully we are a go tomorrow.
Hopefully we are a go tomorrow.
Good luck
Good luck charlie
$5 NY Stakes/Met Mile double
#3 Didia, #4 Marketsegmentation, #5 Virginia Joy
#1 Cody’s Wish
Cost $15 Going to take a shot against heavy favorite War Like Goddess in the upcoming race. Hoping the mile and a quarter isn’t far enough for her. I really like Cody’s Wish tomorrow so the only way to get some value is to beat WoG today.
#3 Didia, #4 Marketsegmentation, #5 Virginia Joy
#1 Cody’s Wish
Cost $15 Going to take a shot against heavy favorite War Like Goddess in the upcoming race. Hoping the mile and a quarter isn’t far enough for her. I really like Cody’s Wish tomorrow so the only way to get some value is to beat WoG today.
My longshot play of the day for Belmont Stakes day.
Race 8 The Woody Stephens G1 7 furlongs
#11 Victory Formation 10-1 ML
With the presence of Bob Bafferts Arabian Lion, Pat Day Mile winner General Jim and the undefeated Drew’s Gold, the price on VF should stay near its ML. This horse started his career sprinting at Keeneland where he wired a field of 12 winning by almost 5 lengths. In his 2nd start at Churchill, he fought back in the stretch after being passed and prevailed in another sprint. He then started a path on the Derby trail by winning the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn while stretching out to a mile. He was the odds-on favorite in that race. The 2nd place finisher he beat by 3 lengths was Angel of Empire, the second choice in the Belmont and 3rd place finisher in the Derby. After a 3 win start he then was the favorite of the Risen Star and drew post 13 of 14 starters. He was wide throughout the race and tired in stretch to finish 9th. A race won by Angel of Empire. After a 2 month layoff, Victory Formation returned in a stakes at Oaklawn at 1 1/8 mikes. Again, he went off the favorite and went to the lead setting a strong pace but was caught in the stretch and finished 3rd beaten only a half length. The 2 horses that beat him, Red Route One and Tapit Shoes, who both will run in the Belmont. This horse now cuts back to a sprint at 7 furlongs with an outside post and speed. I love his chances here.
Good luck to everyone tomorrow
Race 8 The Woody Stephens G1 7 furlongs
#11 Victory Formation 10-1 ML
With the presence of Bob Bafferts Arabian Lion, Pat Day Mile winner General Jim and the undefeated Drew’s Gold, the price on VF should stay near its ML. This horse started his career sprinting at Keeneland where he wired a field of 12 winning by almost 5 lengths. In his 2nd start at Churchill, he fought back in the stretch after being passed and prevailed in another sprint. He then started a path on the Derby trail by winning the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn while stretching out to a mile. He was the odds-on favorite in that race. The 2nd place finisher he beat by 3 lengths was Angel of Empire, the second choice in the Belmont and 3rd place finisher in the Derby. After a 3 win start he then was the favorite of the Risen Star and drew post 13 of 14 starters. He was wide throughout the race and tired in stretch to finish 9th. A race won by Angel of Empire. After a 2 month layoff, Victory Formation returned in a stakes at Oaklawn at 1 1/8 mikes. Again, he went off the favorite and went to the lead setting a strong pace but was caught in the stretch and finished 3rd beaten only a half length. The 2 horses that beat him, Red Route One and Tapit Shoes, who both will run in the Belmont. This horse now cuts back to a sprint at 7 furlongs with an outside post and speed. I love his chances here.
Good luck to everyone tomorrow
