Belmont Stakes 2022: Everything You Need To Know About Betting On Horse Racing

The 2022 Belmont Stakes was meant to be the race shock outsider Rich Strike nailed the biggest upset in horse racing history by winning the US Triple Crown. Unfortunately, the decision not to run the Kentucky Derby winner at the Preakness in May means there will be no Triple Crown winner this year — let’s take a look at the latest Belmont Stakes odds.

But Rich Strike is still in contention to claim the third jewel in this crown and cement his place in history as an unlikely horse racing betting champion.

Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby at odds of +8000 – an incredible achievement for an unfancied horse. His next race comes at from Elmont, where he will likely do battle with Mo Donegal and We The People for the Belmont crown.

The stage is set for a fascinating dash on the New York dirt between three-year-old horses that were deemed no-hopers for the Kentucky Derby just a month earlier – and you can bet on all the action from the country’s best sports betting sites right here!

When Is 2022 Belmont Stakes?

The 2022 Belmont Stakes runs on Saturday, June 11th. It is the biggest race at Elmont over the racing festival and will have thousands of fans watching on. The Belmont Stakes traditionally begins at 6:44 PM ET.

The Belmont Stakes is a historic race that rounds off the US Triple Crown

Can I Bet On Belmont Stakes Yet?

Yes! Many of the best horse racing betting sites already have their odds available for the 2022 Belmont Stakes. You can bet on Belmont Stakes odds before the race via the futures (ante-post) markets. These markets feature pre-race odds on all horses expected to run. Crucially, there isn’t a final decision on who horses enter the race until the Belmont Stakes post position draw – and so these futures odds feature higher prices than the morning line.

You can either bet on these odds at better prices (but with no guarantee your chosen horse will run) or wait until the morning line odds after the post position draw.

2022 Belmont Stakes Updated Odds

The latest Belmont Stakes odds once the post position draw was made at the beginning of the race week. Mo Donegal had been the early favorite but his odds have actually risen since being drawn in Post 6 of eight. The Mo Donegal odds widened from +200 to +250, and instead of him being the favorite that honor has now gone to We The People.

In fact, We The People is turning heads with just days to go before the race. His odds have come in to +200, having originally been much longer. We The People is arguably a late developer. He wasn’t run competitively until March at Oaklawn Park, and won the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont last month. After a progressive practice stretch on the Belmont turf, trainer Rodolphe Brisset said: “It was exactly what we were looking for. Just a maintenance work to put us in a perfect spot for next week. We just like the way he’s been acting and training here. He’s not an easy horse and he looks like he’s maturing at the right time.”

We The People is drawn on the rail for the Belmont but that doesn’t seem to worry Brisset. In fact, there are those who think being in Post 1 could play to the horse’s advantage.

The other big shift in the odds comes further down the list, with Barber Road now a +1000 outsider to win the Belmont Stakes. Barber Road was sixth in the Kentucky Derby and hasn’t raced since. Jockey Reylu Gutierrez is expected to ride him once again, with the horse tipped to be in fine shape after missing the Preakness.

Here are the latest Belmont Stakes betting odds with just days to go before the race…

Morning Line Belmont Stakes Bets

Plenty of attention will be on Rich Strike following his Kentucky Derby victory. And he should be in perfect shape for the race, according to his trainer Eric Reed. “Skipping the Preakness was still one of the toughest decisions I had to make as a trainer,” Reed said of the Preakness. “I just don’t think he would’ve been mentally ready to run against those horses again.”

This time, however, Rich Strike should be raring to go. He is certainly a contender at +350 to win the Belmont, which is a huge cut on his Kentucky Derby betting odds!

Meanwhile, the current mobile sports betting second favorite is Mo Donegal, who finished fifth at Churchill Downs after a respectable run from gate 1. Mo Donegal is generally happy on the rail and was only narrowly pipped to fourth by Simplification. His odds of +250 are well worth monitoring over the coming days.

A number of horses that didn’t run in Kentucky or at Pimlico have made the cut here. We The People (+200), and Nest (+800) have each raised eyebrows with their impressive early prices, which have since fallen further. Nest is of particular interest to punters as her odds didn’t change after the post position draw. Nest is a rare filly in with a chance of winning the Belmont and will have plenty of supporters at this price.

Latest Belmont Stakes 2022 Betting Tips

Indeed, the biggest horse racing betting shock of the Belmont Stakes so far has focused on which horses aren’t running! Epicenter could one-day be considered one of the best horses never to win a US Triple Crown event after coming second in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes this year.

Epicenter was on course to win at Churchill Downs before Rich Strike snuck up the inside to claim victory. And he just couldn’t keep apace with Early Voting in the Preakness battle.

“We’ll give him a little break,” trainer Steve Asmussen said of Epicenter. “We’re constantly evaluating the situation, but the plan is for him to go to Saratoga (N.Y.), and from here I’d suggest the Jim Dandy and the Travers (as possible next races).”

As for Early Voting, his victory was something of a surprize to the Preakness Stakes betting markets and trainer Chad Brown says he won’t be in New York this June.

“We are thrilled with the (Preakness) victory,” Brown said. “I’m proud of the horse, proud of my team. It was a super memorable day. Everything lined up. I’m just so appreciative for the day, the performance.”

No Epicenter or Early Voting means horse racing punters have less to go on when it comes to making a wager. Neither Messier nor Smile Happy are competing here either. In fact, there are only eight runners in the Belmont 2022.

The big tip amongst a small field is Creative Minister (+600) – the Kenneth McPeek-trained three-year-old that secured a show finish at Pimlico. His odds are narrowing by the day. The Belmont is the longest of the three Triple Crown events and McPeek is confident Creative Minister can shine in New York.

“I just think he’ll like the added ground, as long as he handles the surface up there,” McPeek said. “In the classic 3-year-old races, if you’ve got a good 3-year-old that’s doing well, there’s nothing to be shy about.

“Although I wouldn’t have told you in January and February that this is the colt that I would be bringing, between Smile Happy, Rattle N Roll and Tiz the Bomb, and even Dash Attack. This horse kind of reminds me of (2002’s +7000 Belmont winner) Sarava. He was a horse so under the radar.”

How To Watch Belmont Stakes Live On TV

You can watch Belmont Stakes on TV live via NBC this June. The schedule is yet to be released but NBC is expected to showcase the entire day of horse racing from across America, and build top to the Belmont Stakes from 5 PM ET. You can also live stream Belmont Stakes from NBCSports.com and on the NBC Sports app.

What Is The Belmont Prize Money?

The 2022 Belmont prize money stands at $1.5m. This is half the purse available for the Kentucky Derby but is nevertheless not to be sniffed at. Last year’s winner Essential Quality walked away with a cool $800,000 share of the prize pot.

Which Famous Horses Won The Belmont?

The Belmont Stakes has catapulted many horses to superstardom down the years – thanks to its place as the last leg of the US Triple Crown. The likes of Secretariat, Justify and Seattle Slew cemented their places in history via triumphs in the Belmont Stakes.

Most of the big records set in this race happened more than 60 years ago. Jockeys Eddie Arcaro and Jim McLaughlin are tied for the most race wins with six, while James G. Rowe Sr. is the most successful trainer – although his eight wins came between 1883 and 1913.

Rags to Riches (2007) ended a 102-year wait for a third filly to win the Belmont Stakes when she stormed to victory under John Velazquez. Nine non-US horses have also won this race – most notably Irish horse Gallant Man (1957) and Canada’s Victory Gallop (1998).

The Belmont generally suits horses that love fast conditions. The dirt has been dry for each of the past 11 races, and only occasional has the rain fallen hard enough to turn conditions sloppy.

The Belmont Stakes trophy is made of 350 ounces of silver

How Valuable Is The Belmont Trophy?

The Belmont Trophy – known as the August Belmont Trophy after the man who founded the race – is a silver cup made by Tiffany & Co. back in 1896. It weighs 350 ounces and forms a 27-inch acorn bowl. The trophy is made from sterling silver and supposedly cost $1000 to create.

When taking inflation into account, the cost of the trophy in 2022 would be $34,000. However, it is likely that the Belmont Trophy would fetch many more times that at auction if it ever were put up for sale.