Belmont Stakes 2026 Predictions: Favorites, Sleepers and Longshot Picks

The Belmont Stakes 2026 is all set to take center stage on June 6 at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, with the post time set at 7:04 p.m. ET. It's the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown with prize money worth $2 million.

Saturday will mark the 158th edition of the Belmont Stakes, a Triple Crown race that predates both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. This year's edition will feature a competitive field of nine horses, with Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo headlining the race.

Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes in preparation for Saturday's race after winning the Kentucky Derby, and is the most popular horse in the field.

2026 Belmont Stakes Predictions

Favorites

Renegade, who is trained by Todd Pletcher, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite, according to odds released by the New York Racing Association. He finished runner-up at the Kentucky Derby and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post No. 4.

Following him is Chief Wallabee at 3-1. He is trained by Bill Mott and will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post No. 3.

Meanwhile, Golden Tempo can't be ruled out after getting a good amount of rest following his Kentucky Derby win. He sits at 9-2 and will break from post No. 9, a position from which the Belmont Stakes has rarely been won.

Sleepers

Commandment and Emerging Market are capable of bringing up surprises. Both ran in the Kentucky Derby and enter with similar odds of 6-1.

Commandment, ridden by John Velazquez from post No. 7, owns multiple graded-stakes victories and could rebound after a disappointing Derby performance, while Emerging Market, ridden by Flavien Prat from post No. 8, has posted impressive workouts and represents another intriguing Chad Brown entrant.

Longshots

Of the remaining four horses, Powershift, Growth Equity, and Ottinho are trained by either Todd Pletcher or Chad Brown, giving them some reputational credibility despite their odds. Vitruvian Man, trained by Doug O'Neill, is the exception, though he does occupy post No. 1, which has historically been one of the more successful starting positions in Belmont Stakes history.

Vitruvian Man enters with the longest odds at 30-1, followed by Ottinho at 20-1. Both Powershift and Growth Equity come in at 12-1, making them the most realistic longshot options if you are looking for value.

Our Prediction

While Golden Tempo is the most popular horse in the field, he is at a disadvantage given his post position. And while Renegade is the odds-on favorite after pushing Golden Tempo to the wire at the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont presents a completely different scenario.

Our pick is Commandment. The seventh-place finish at the Kentucky Derby is easy to hold against him, but Brad Cox's colt arrives at Saratoga with a resume that demands respect.

He won both the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby earlier this season and brings four wins from six career starts into Saturday's race. With a cleaner trip than he got at Churchill Downs, where he raced wide around both turns, Commandment has the talent to remind everyone why he was considered a serious contender before Derby day.

Related: Belmont Stakes 2026: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time and How to Watch

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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 12:10 PM.