Belmont Stakes 2026 Betting: Predictions and Tips
The gates are set. The post position draw for the 158th Belmont Stakes took place Monday, June 1, confirming nine runners for Saturday's $2 million Grade 1 finale at Saratoga Race Course. Post time is 7:04pm ET on June 6.
Renegade goes off as the morning line favorite at 2/1 out of post 4. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, skipping the Preakness and arriving fresh off five weeks' rest, drew the outside post 9 at 9/2. Chief Wallabee sits between them at 3/1 from post 3.
No Triple Crown is on the line. Golden Tempo's trainer Cherie DeVaux chose the same Preakness bypass route that Sovereignty used to win here in 2025, and Ocelli, the only horse to run in both the Derby and Preakness, skipped the Belmont for the Ohio Derby. This one is a straight shootout between nine of the best three year olds in the country.
Explore the complete draw, followed by our post position analysis and betting takes for every runner.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitruvian Man | Antonio Fresu | Doug O'Neill | 30/1 |
| 2 | Powershift | Luis Saez | Todd Pletcher | 12/1 |
| 3 | Chief Wallabee | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | 3/1 |
| 4 | Renegade | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd Pletcher | 2/1 |
| 5 | Ottinho | Dylan Davis | Chad Brown | 20/1 |
| 6 | Growth Equity | Manuel Franco | Chad Brown | 12/1 |
| 7 | Commandment | John Velazquez | Brad Cox | 6/1 |
| 8 | Emerging Market | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown | 6/1 |
| 9 | Golden Tempo | Jose Ortiz | Cherie DeVaux | 9/2 |
Morning line odds. Check app.mywinners.com for live odds before betting.
At 1 1/4 miles on Saratoga's main track, the draw matters but it is not the lottery it can be at Churchill Downs. The run to the first turn gives horses from wider gates enough time to find position, and in a nine horse field the traffic scenarios are nothing like a packed Derby field. That said, gates 3 through 7 have a clean edge historically at this configuration, and the middle of the draw came up with the two biggest favorites.
Post 4: Renegade (2/1)
This is as clean a draw as the morning line favorite could have asked for. Irad Ortiz Jr. gets to dictate from a middle gate with a clear view of what is ahead and nothing to his left that worries us. Renegade won the Arkansas Derby before finishing a photo behind Golden Tempo at Churchill Downs. The market thinks that result was a coin flip and that Renegade gets a better setup here with a smaller field and a favorable post. Todd Pletcher has four Belmont wins and knows exactly how to place a horse for this race.
Post 3: Chief Wallabee (3/1)
Bill Mott won this race last year with Sovereignty and now returns with Chief Wallabee, who finished fourth in the Derby after adding blinkers. From post 3 with Junior Alvarado up, Chief Wallabee gets a dream scenario. Alvarado rode Sovereignty to victory here in 2025 and knows Saratoga's configuration cold. The Constitution colt has faced Commandment twice this spring and run second and third to him in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby. Expect connections to be quietly confident.
Post 9: Golden Tempo (9/2)
Jose Ortiz gets the outside gate with the Derby winner and has already said it works for them. Golden Tempo wins by coming from off the pace, and post 9 in a nine horse field actually suits that style. He won the Derby at 23/1 in a pace meltdown that caught everyone cold. Replicating that exact scenario here is harder, but DeVaux's decision to mirror Sovereignty's 2025 prep is not a coincidence. Sovereignty went wire to wire in 2:00.69 to set a stakes record after the same five week break. Golden Tempo is shorter in the market because he is demonstrably better than that field was.
Post 7: Commandment (6/1)
Brad Cox sends out Commandment from post 7 with Johnny V in the irons. Commandment won four straight races including the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth before a flat seventh in the Derby. The question is whether that Derby run took the edge off him or whether it was simply a rough trip in a field of 18. Post 7 gives Velazquez room to stalk and pounce, which is exactly how this horse operates when he is right. At 6/1, the price is fair if you believe in the bounce back.
Post 8: Emerging Market (6/1)
Chad Brown's standout individual pick here, and the one that has attracted the most interest from serious handicappers. Emerging Market entered the Derby unbeaten after winning the Louisiana Derby, finished a disappointing 10th, and we now know he lost his left front shoe on the first turn. That explains the Derby result entirely. Flavien Prat stays aboard, Brown is adamant the horse has come out of it in excellent shape, and at 6/1 you are getting an unbeaten resume with a solid excuse for his only defeat. This is the value pick of the race.
Post 2: Powershift (12/1)
Pletcher's second entry comes out of post 2 with Luis Saez. Powershift is a distant second fiddle to Renegade in the Pletcher barn but gets a clean inside draw. At 12/1 he is strictly for exotics unless you see something in the works that others have missed.
Post 6: Growth Equity (12/1)
Chad Brown's third runner, owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables, won the Peter Pan at Aqueduct on May 9 and heads here on the stepping stone prep path. Manuel Franco gets the mount. Growth Equity has a top Equibase figure of 98 and is a stalker or front runner. At 12/1 he gives Chad Brown multiple chances to collect.
Post 5: Ottinho (20/1)
Dylan Davis gets the call on Brown's third string entry. Ottinho is owned by Three Chimneys Farm and arrives as the least exposed of the Brown trio. At 20/1 he is deep exotics territory, but Brown rarely wastes a Belmont entry.
Post 1: Vitruvian Man (30/1)
The longest shot in the field, trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by Italian jockey Antonio Fresu. Vitruvian Man finished third in the Santa Anita Derby and has the celebrity backing of the Run Fast Racing group. At 30/1 he is a superfecta throw and nothing more, but if the pace falls apart and a closer rips through late, he has shown enough to land in the bottom of the exacta.
This is a field with limited pace. There are no committed front runners. Renegade, Chief Wallabee and Commandment all prefer to settle off the pace, and Golden Tempo wants to close from the back. Growth Equity is the most likely to show early speed, with Ottinho also capable of pressing.
A slow early pace plays into the hands of Renegade, who wins with a big turn of foot. It makes life harder for Golden Tempo, who needs something to run down. If Growth Equity or Vitruvian Man go hard to the lead and set a genuine pace, the deep closers get their shot. If it dawdles, the horse sitting second or third at the half is going to be very hard to beat.
Jose Ortiz will be watching the pace from the outside at post 9. If it is slow through the opening half, he will have to make a move earlier than he did at Churchill Downs. That is the key tactical question for the favorite's camp.
We think this race comes down to three horses. Renegade is the most likely winner. Emerging Market is the bet of the race at the price. Golden Tempo is dangerous but needs things to go wrong for the others.
Renegade has been the best horse on the Triple Crown trail since the Arkansas Derby. The Derby photo could have gone either way. Post 4 with Irad Ortiz Jr. is close to ideal at Saratoga, and Pletcher has won this race four times. He knows exactly what he needs from the first half mile and he will get it from that gate. The market installed him favorite for a reason, and we agree.
Emerging Market is the one we want at the price. He was unbeaten in two starts before the Derby, won the Louisiana Derby, and then lost his left front shoe on the first turn at Churchill. That is not a form reversal. That is a horse who never got to run his race. Chad Brown is one of the best trainers in North America at placing a horse for a spot like this. He has three runners here and Emerging Market is clearly his A-team entry. Flavien Prat stays on board. The half mile workout at the Oklahoma track in 48.22 was strong. At 6/1 you are getting a horse with an unbeaten record, a legitimate excuse, and a trainer who wins this race in his sleep.
Golden Tempo won the Derby at 23/1 because the pace fell apart and he swooped late. DeVaux is smart to mirror the Sovereignty route, and five weeks fresh works for a closer. The problem is the pace here is suspect. If Growth Equity and Ottinho go forward early and set something genuine, Golden Tempo gets his shot. If it dawdles, Jose Ortiz will have to commit from post 9 earlier than he wants to. Still in our exotics, but not the win bet.
Chief Wallabee at 3/1 feels a touch short. He ran fourth in the Derby, added blinkers, and faces the same horses again. Alvarado and Mott are formidable but the price does not excite us.
Commandment at 6/1 is the dark horse. Four straight wins before the Derby. A flat seventh that everyone wants to explain away. If Brad Cox and Johnny V have him back to his Florida Derby best, that post 7 draw sets him up perfectly to stalk and pounce. He gets a line in our trifecta.
Win bet: Emerging Market (6/1).
The price is too big for a horse with one loss and a cast-iron excuse for it. Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, post 8 in a nine horse field, half mile workout in 48.22 at Saratoga. This is the play.
Trifecta: Renegade / Emerging Market / Chief Wallabee
With Commandment and Golden Tempo underneath. Box the top three and use the others in the fourth slot of superfectas.
Superfecta: Renegade / Emerging Market / Chief Wallabee / Commandment
At Saratoga at 1 1/4 miles the pace scenario decides whether Golden Tempo makes the top four or not. We prefer Commandment as the fourth leg given his tactical position from post 7.
Value single: Emerging Market to beat Renegade in a straight exacta
If the shoe story is real and this horse is back to his best, 6/1 about a horse that beat Golden Tempo at the Louisiana Derby is significant value. Key him on top of Renegade in the exacta and you are looking at a serious payout if he runs his race.
Exotics
Box Renegade / Emerging Market / Chief Wallabee in the trifecta. Sprinkle Golden Tempo and Commandment underneath.
We accept bets on every race on the Belmont Stakes card at Saratoga on June 6. Win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta and pick bets are all available.
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Renegade drew post 4 in the draw held on Monday, June 1. The morning line favorite goes with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo drew the outside post 9. Trainer Cherie DeVaux said the draw works for them, and jockey Jose Ortiz will use the wide gate to find clear running room early.
Nine horses will go to post in the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on June 6, 2026.
No. Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes, where Napoleon Solo won at Laurel Park on May 16. No horse has contested all three Triple Crown legs in 2026.
Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, for the third consecutive year. Belmont Park is undergoing a $455 million reconstruction and returns as the host in 2027. The race is run at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles.
Post time for the 158th Belmont Stakes is 7:04pm ET on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
You can bet at app.mywinners.com online, via the MyWinners iOS app or Android APK, or in person at any Winners venue in Connecticut. MyWinners is open to all customers 18 and over.
