Belmont Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2026 Belmont Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2026 (G1) Belmont is set for June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Belmont Stakes Preview
- Race: Belmont Stakes
- Purse: $2 million
- Distance: 1 1/4 miles
- Track: Saratoga Race Course
- Date: June 6, 2026
- Post Time: 7:04 PM ET
- Live: Belmont Stakes Odds: Click Here
Before we can give you our expert 2026 Belmont Stakes free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
Past 10 Belmont Stakes Winners
- 2025 – Sovereignty
- 2024 – Dornoch
- 2023 – Arcangelo
- 2022 – Mo Donegal
- 2021 – Essential Quality
- 2020 – Tiz The Law
- 2019 – Sir Winston
- 2018 – Justify
- 2017 – Tapwrit
- 2016 – Creator
2026 Belmont Stakes Handicapping
For the third and final time, Saratoga will play host to the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, as reconstruction of Belmont Park is in the final stages and set for re-opening in September.
This will also be the third time the race is run at 1 1/4 miles instead of the usual Belmont distance of 1 1/2. since the smaller Saratoga track configuration does not allow for a 1 1/2 mile race starting on a straight.
While there is no Triple Crown bid on the line, the race still has a lot of intrigue with the top two finishers in the Kentucky Derby meeting up again, as well as three others coming out of that race. Nine runners are expected to go to the starting gate.
Odds listed here are provided by the Saratoga track oddsmaker.
2026 Belmont Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Renegade Race Odds: 2-1
One of several that had to endure a rough trip in the Kentucky Derby, Renegade had to overcome a hard bump right out of the #1 gate and then was bumped again as he set down for the stretch drive.
Nonetheless he managed to rally from 15th early to get up and grab the lead in deep stretch before being passed by Golden Tempo in the shadow of the wire.
He’s almost guaranteed to get a much cleaner trip on Saturday. He’s been putting in solid works at Saratoga to prep for this, and if he runs back to his Derby form he could be very tough to beat.
2026 Belmont Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Golden Tempo Race Odds: 9-2
Speaking of a rally, the Derby winner Golden Tempo made the biggest one of them all under an excellent ride by jockey Jose Ortiz, coming from dead last on the backstretch to swing 10-wide into the stretch and take the win by a neck.
He’ll likely be at the back again early on Saturday, but has only half the number of horses to pass to get to the front than he did at Churchill. The question will be if they’re going to be going fast enough up front to set him up for his closing kick.
Chief Wallabee Race Odds: 3-1
Fourth in the Derby by three lengths, Chief Wallabee made steady progress through the field starting from mid-pack in that race. It was a solid enough effort, but he was no match for the top two during the stretch drive.
He came out of the tough Gulfstream Park series of Derby qualifying races where he was second beaten just a neck in the (G2) Fountain of Youth and third by just 1/2 length in the Florida Derby.
Commandment Race Odds: 6-1
Also coming through the Gulfstream preps, Commandment was the winner of both the Fountain Of Youth and Florida Derby, and had a four-race win streak snapped when he ran seventh in the Derby.
He was moving well in the stretch at Churchill but ran into some late traffic trouble that probably cost him a couple placings. He was also out of the gate a bit slow, and gets a jockey change here to a rider that likes to get his horses into the race early.
Here’s My 2026 Belmont Stakes Free Pick
Besides the much smaller field, one of the main differences between the Derby and Belmont is that the Belmont early pace will likely not be as fast as they went at Churchill. There are no real speedballs signed on here, and in fact not a single horse in the race has led the field at the first call in any of their previous races.
That will likely be to the detriment of Golden Tempo and perhaps a lesser extent for Renegade, as horses that come from behind typically need a fast early pace that slows down late and allows them to close into.
It can be argued that starting anywhere other than the #1 gate in the Derby would have made the difference between Renegade winning by a neck or losing by a neck, and I still think he’s the best three-year-old this season. It will be no surprise of he wins. But he’s going to offer very little value and so I think it’s worth taking a shot against him.
While it’s tempting to price shop with one of the new shooters, I’m going to stick with the ones that ran in the Derby. And of those I’m going to land on Commandment. Based on past performance he’s been able to grind out wins in races that weren’t all that fast. And it’s worth mentioning that despite the fact he’s beaten Chief Wallabee twice, his morning line odds are twice as high.
I’ll bet him for the win, with Renegade in the exacta.
Just to note, some rain is expected at Saratoga on Saturday. Only two horses on the field have raced on off tracks, with Growth Equity (12-1) getting a win on a good track at Aqueduct, and Vitruvian Man (30-1) running second on a sloppy track at Churchill.
Full Field: 2026 Belmont Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – Vitruvian Man 30-1
- #2 – Powershift 12-1
- #3 – Chief Wallabee 3-1
- #4 – Renegade 2-1
- #5 – Ottinho 20-1
- #6 – Growth Equity 12-1
- #7 – Commandment 6-1
- #8 – Emerging Market 6-1
- #9 – Golden Tempo 9-2
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