The third and final jewel of the Triple Crown happens Saturday, June 10: the Belmont Stakes! The 1 ½-mile trip over the Belmont Park dirt drew the classiest field of all the Triple Crown races to face the most taxing challenge any of the runners have seen to date. At stake are a $1.5 million purse, the blanket of carnations, and a place in horse racing history!
2023 Preakness winner National Treasure returns for the Belmont Stakes. So do the top two betting choice in the Kentucky Derby, Angel of Empire and Tapit Trice. Forte, the Florida Derby betting favorite and winner who had to scratch on Kentucky Derby day, also returns to the fray. With such a classy field, this is one of the best online horse betting events of the year.
National Treasure
To win the Belmont Stakes
Keep reading to find out the top contenders for the 2023 Belmont Stake, and the best places to bet the race online in Florida.
Betting the 2023 Belmont Stakes Online
As much as we all would love to travel to New York and see the Test of the Champion in person, not all of us can make it there. Fortunately, you can be part of the Belmont Stakes action anywhere with an internet connection by betting it at an online racebook. Our experts are here to help you make a fast, confident decision about the best one to choose.
All of our recommended racebooks have the basics: trusted payouts and deposits, smooth user interfaces, and real Las Vegas odds on racing and sports betting. They also offer incentives you will never find at the track like sign-up and deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and even horse racing rebates that pay you back for every bet you make.
Taking a few minutes now to find the best racebook bonuses for how you like to bet can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars to boost your bankroll!
These are the top online racebooks for Florida players:
Handicapping the 2023 Belmont Stakes
With your betting account set up, it is now time to get to know the field and pick the winner of the 2023 Belmont Stakes!
2023 Belmont Stakes Horses
This is the official field for the 2023 Belmont Stakes including draw numbers, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Tapit Shoes (Brad Cox/Jose Ortiz) – 20/1
- Tapit Trice (Todd Pletcher/Luis Saez) – 3/1
- Arcangelo (Jena Antonucci/Javier Castellano) – 8/1
- National Treasure (Bob Baffert/John Velazquez) – 5/1
- Il Miracolo (Antonio Sano/Marcos Meneses) – 30/1
- Forte (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz) – 5/2
- Hit Show (Brad Cox/Manuel Franco) – 10/1
- Angel of Empire (Brad Cox/Flavien Prat) – 7/2
- Red Route One (Steve Asmussen/Joel Rosario) – 15/1
These morning line odds are the track’s best estimate for what the board will look like when the gates fling open for the Belmont Stakes. However, they are not guaranteed prices. Your best bet is to play the Belmont Stakes online because online racebooks offer fixed-odds betting on major races. That way, you can lock in the best price the moment you bet!
These are Belmont Stakes odds on the leading contenders at top online racebooks.
2023 Belmont Stakes Best Bet
National Treasure is the Belmont Stakes best bet. Though he got things his own way in the Preakness three weeks before, he stands to get a very similar trip in the Belmont Stakes. And, with so much buzz around the likes of Forte, Tapit Trice and even Angel of Empire leading into the Belmont, he should be a better price than he was last out despite being the Preakness winner.
National Treasure
To win the Belmont Stakes
The only other horse in the field who tends to go to the front is Il Miracolo, who appears outclassed in the Belmont. National Treasure likely outjumps Il Miracolo, and worst-case scenario he probably shakes off Il Miracolo quickly and keeps enough in reserve to finish down the lane.
2023 Belmont Stakes Favorites
Trainer Todd Pletcher has the two shortest prices on the Belmont Stakes morning line: Forte and Tapit Trice. Forte is the better of the two. Though he missed a start in the Kentucky Derby, he has worked well since that scratch. He also has a record of running well off the layoff. In terms of post and pace, Forte should be able to work a trip from midpack, and get a jump on the real closers.
Those deeper closers include Tapit Trice. On paper Tapit Trice has a good Belmont pedigree, though his Kentucky Derby outing was disappointing, as he was flattening late at only 1 ¼ miles. He also has to work a trip from a near-inside post; as a horse who isn’t the best from the gate, it would be no surprise if he gets shuffled to last early. That’s not the right place to be with a likely loose leader.
Angel of Empire comes off a third-place finish in the Belmont. Though he was a beaten favorite that day, he finished well and was gaining ground late, suggesting that he may be able to handle the Belmont trip better than some. The pace does not work in his favor, but he ran well enough in the Arkansas Derby without a sharp pace up front that he should be able to at least find the exotics.
2023 Belmont Stakes Longshot
The most interesting longshot in the Belmont Stakes is Arcangelo. He has to prove his class, since he comes from the Peter Pan (G3) and not the Triple Crown or even the Triple Crown trail. However, his Peter Pan win showed that he handles the Belmont dirt course well, a positive since some horses do not like the deeper, sandy surface.
Arcangelo has also shown tactical speed, meaning he will have a good chance to reel in National Treasure if it turns out he does not stay a mile and a half. Furthermore, being by Arrogate out of a Tapit mare from the same line as Belmont winners Jazil and Rags to Riches, Arcangelo has the closest thing to a 1 ½-mile dirt pedigree you’ll find.
Tapit Shoes also fits in deeper exotic wagers. The inside post may be tough, but if he comes away well, he can work a good trip. He has the tactical speed to keep the leader in range. And, under current leading Belmont rider Jose Ortiz, he should be able to make a well-timed move at a more-than-square price.
2023 Belmont Stakes Free Picks
You have your betting account set up, and you have gotten to know the leading contenders in the race. All that is left to do is the best part of all: placing your wagers! These are the best bets for Saturday’s 2023 Belmont Stakes:
- $20 to win – #4 National Treasure
- $1 exacta key – #4 National Treasure with #3 Arcangelo, #6 Forte
- $1 trifecta key – #4 National Treasure with #3 Arcangelo, #6 Forte, #8 Angel of Empire
- 20 cent superfecta key – #4 National Treasure with #1 Tapit Shoes, #3 Arcangelo, #6 Forte, #8 Angel of Empire
National Treasure
To win the Belmont Stakes
