It’s time for the 2023 Belmont Stakes, which will be the 155th running of “The Run for the Carnations” at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., Saturday. It’s the 3rd and final jewel in the Triple Crown of horse racing — post time approximately 7:02 p.m. ET (NBC).
Mage, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, is not in the field of 9 horses. However, National Treasure, the Bob Baffert-trained horse, is. That combination won at the 2023 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore in late May.
Mo Donegal, ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., and trained by Todd Pletcher, won the 2022 Belmont Stakes. Ortiz and Fletcher again team up in this race, with the favorite Forte (+250). Forte was scratched at the Kentucky Derby due to bruised right foot.
Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the 2023 Preakness odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
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2023 Belmont Stakes: What you need to know
- Pletcher saw Mo Donegal win at Belmont last season, and he has 4 victories since Rags to Riches won the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown back in 2007
- John Velazquez, who won the Preakness aboard National Treasure, has won at Belmont twice, including Pletcher’s Rags to Riches in 2007. Velazquez also won aboard Union Rags in 2012
- Baffert was the winning trainer at the Belmont in 2018 with Justify, as well as in 2015 with Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah. He also won with Point Given in 2001
- Luis Saez, who won aboard Essential Quality in 2021 for trainer Brad Cox, will ride Tapit Trice (+300), the horse with the 2nd-shortest odds
- Manny Franco, who was the winning jockey in 2020 with Tiz the Law, will look to grab another win with Hit Show (+1000) and the trainer Cox
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2023 Belmont Stakes – Expert pick
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:37 a.m. ET.
Favorites have ended up winning the Belmont Stakes at a 42.9% clip in the previous 154 installments. That’s a great sign for FORTE (+250), who returns from a 10-week absence after being scratched from the Kentucky Derby.
Ortiz and Pletcher look to become the first jockey and trainer combination to win consecutive Belmont Stakes races since jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. and trainer Woody Stephens won 3 straight Belmonts from 1982-84 with Conquistador Cielo, Caveat and Swale.
2023 Belmont Stakes – Long shot
If you want to be a little more adventurous, take a flier on HIT SHOW (+1000).
There really aren’t a lot of long shots. Even Il Miracolo (+3000) isn’t a super long shot. Franco knows how to win at Belmont, and so does Cox. These 2 have both been to the Winner’s Circle since 2020, and they’ll look to team up for their first Belmont win together.
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