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The 2024 Belmont Stakes will run Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. It’s the 156th running of the third jewel in the American Triple Crown of horse racing. Live coverage begins on FS1 at 10:30 a.m. ET before coverage shifts to FOX at 4 p.m. Post time for the Belmont Stakes is approximately 6:41 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze DraftKings Sportsbook lines around the 2024 Belmont Stakes odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
Belmont Stakes: What you need to know
- Mystik Dan (+500) won the Kentucky Derby winner, ending up 2nd at the Preakness Stakes. The 3-year-old goes off from Post 3
- Seize the Grey (+800), winner of the Preakness, starts from inside at Post 1
- Sierra Leone (+180) is considered the favorite. The Chad Brown-trained horse will have jockey Flavien Prat aboard
- This race takes place at Saratoga Race Course in 2024 and 2025 due to renovations at Belmont Park
- The length of the race has been shortened from 1½ miles to 1 1/4 miles due to the difference in track circumference
- The winner of Saturday’s race wins a record $1.2 million, up from $900K in 2023, and the top 8 horses receive a share of the purse
- The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 60’s with a 15 percent chance of precipitation, 12-15 mph winds and dry track conditions
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Belmont Stakes – Expert pick
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:29 a.m. ET.
SIERRA LEONE (+180) is the chalk. The 3-year-old colt is the safest play. This horse, sired by Gun Runner, has 3 starts this year. After a win at the Fair Grounds outside of the New Orleans at the Risen Star Stakes, and a victory at the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Sierra Leone had to settle for 2nd at the Kentucky Derby.
The Brown-trained horse did not run at the Preakness, so Sierra Leone is rested and raring to go. The colt should enjoy the dry, fast conditions.
Belmont Stakes – Contender
If you’re a little more adventurous, consider MINDFRAME (+350), a Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-old colt, which will have Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.
This horse hasn’t run a lot of races, which is a bit of a concern. However, this horse is 2-for-2 on the 2024 race calendar, winning a Maiden Special Weight race at Gulfstream Park back in late March, while racing to an Allowance Optional Claiming race in early May at Churchill Downs.
Ortiz knows how to get the most out of his ride, and this trainer/jockey combination won the Belmont Stakes with Mo Donegal in 2022. Ortiz Jr. was aboard Creator in 2016, too, for his 2nd Belmont win.
Belmont Stakes – Long shot
When hunting for a long-shot play, we have a little jingle to sing on your way to the window: “I am a contrarian, let’s go ANTIQUARIAN (+1200)!”
The 3-year-old colt is another Pletcher-trained horse, and John R. Velazquez will be aboard for the Belmont. Velazquez was aboard Union Rags for a Belmont win in 2012, and he is no stranger to the winner’s circle in Triple Crown races.
Antiquarian was lightning-quick at the Peter Pan Stakes, while also picking up a Maiden Special Weight victory at the Fair Grounds in mid-February in a race with a sluggish pace.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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