The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes is set for Saturday, June 7th, continuing a legacy that dates back to 1867. As the final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont follows the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, offering one last—and often most demanding—test for the nation’s top 3-year-olds.
Often called the “Test of the Champion,” the Belmont Stakes is steeped in tradition and excitement. From the iconic blanket of white carnations draped over the winner to the playing of “New York, New York” before the gates open, the race captures the spirit and history of American horse racing. It’s where legends like Secretariat made history with his record-breaking 31-length victory in 1973, and where recent stars like American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) sealed their Triple Crown triumphs.
While the race is traditionally held at Belmont Park over the demanding distance of 1 1/2 miles, the 2025 edition will once again be run at Saratoga Race Course, covering a slightly shorter 1 1/4 miles due to the track’s smaller dimensions. After this, the Belmont Stakes will return to its iconic home at Belmont Park in 2026.
For deeper insights, historical context, and expert picks, don’t miss our latest podcast episode previewing this year’s Belmont Stakes.
Location: Saratoga Springs, New York, United States
Event Grade: Grade I
Race: 13
Post Time: 7:04 PM ET
Length: 1 1/4 Mile
Purse: $2,000,000
Division: Open | Three Years Old
Surface: Dirt
Exacta ($1), Trifecta (.50), Super (.10), Double ($1) 13 & 14, Leg B Acorn, NY Met, Woody Stephens/Belmont Doubles, Leg F 2-Day Pick 6
TV Schedule:
FS1 – 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET
FOX – 2:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET
Previous Winners & Odds:
2024: Dornoch
Odds: 15-1
2023: Arcangelo
Odds: 8-1
2022: Mo Donegal
Odds: 5-2
2021: Essential Quality
Odds: 2-1
2020: Tiz the Law
Odds: 6-5
2019: Sir Winston
Odds: 12-1
2018: Justify *
Odds: 4-5
* Justify was a Tripple Crown Winner
Trainer, Jockey, & Owner Kentucky Derby Records:
Most Wins by a Trainer:
8 – James G. Rowe Sr. (1883, 1884, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913)
Most Wins by a Jockey:
6 – Jim McLaughlin (1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888) and Eddie Arcaro (1941, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1952, 1955)
Most Wins by an Owner:
6 – Belair Stud (1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955) and James R. Keene (1879, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910)
Belmont Stakes Historical Post Position Stats:
Here are the 2025 Belmont Stakes post positions, along with historical data for each gate since the starting gate was introduced to the race in 1905:
Post Position
Starts
Wins
Win %
Wins Since 2000
Last Winner
2025 Belmont Entrant
1
118
24
20.3%
2
Justify (2018)
Hill Road
2
118
13
11.0%
2
Essential Quality (2021)
Sovereignty
3
116
16
13.8%
4
Arcangelo (2023)
Rodriguez
4
110
10
9.1%
2
Summer Bird (2009)
Uncaged
5
102
15
14.7%
2
American Pharoah (2015)
Crudo
6
97
9
9.3%
2
Dornoch (2024)
Baeza
7
84
14
16.7%
3
Sir Winston (2019)
Journalism
8
74
7
9.5%
2
Tiz the Law (2020)
Heart of Honor
9
57
4
7.0%
2
Afleet Alex (2005)
None
10
40
1
2.5%
0
Thunder Gulch (1995)
None
11
28
3
10.7%
2
Tonalist (2014)
None
12
11
1
9.1%
1
Palace Malice (2013)
None
13
7
1
14.3%
1
Creator (2016)
None
14
3
0
0.0%
0
None
None
15
1
0
0.0%
0
None
None
Field:
Post
Horse Name
Jockey
Trainer
Odds
1
Hill Road
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Chad Brown
10-1
2
Sovereignty
Junior Alvarado
Bill Mott
2-1
3
Rodriguez
Mike Smith
Bob Baffert
6-1
4
Uncaged
Luis Saez
Todd Pletcher
30-1
5
Crudo
John Velazquez
Todd Pletcher
15-1
6
Baeza
Flavien Prat
John Shirreffs
4-1
7
Journalism
Umberto Rispoli
Michael McCarthy
8-5
8
Heart of Honor
Saffie Osborne
Jamie Osborne
30-1
Horse Preview
Hill Road
Name: Hill Road
ML Odds: 10-1
Owner(s): Amo Racing USA
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Dam: Exotic Notion (Lemon Drop Kid)
Sire: Quality Road (Elusive Quality)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
5
2
0
2
2025
2
1
0
1
2024
3
1
0
1
Saratoga Race Course
0
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
10May25-Aqueduct
1 1/8 Miles
GIII Peter Pan
1st
8Mar25-Tampa
1 1/16 Miles
GIII Tampa Bay Derby
3rd
1Nov24-Del Mar
1 1/16 Miles
G1 BC Juvenile
3rd
Sovereignty
Name: Sovereignty
ML Odds: 2-1
Owner(s): Godolphin LLC
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Dam: Crowned (Bernardini)
Sire: Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
6
3
2
0
2025
3
2
1
0
2024
3
1
1
0
Saratoga Race Course
1
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
3May25-Churchill Downs
1 1/4 Miles
GI Kentucky Derby
1st
29Mar2-Gulfstream Park
1 1/8 Miles
GI Florida Derby
2nd
1Mar25-Gulfstream Park
1 1/16 Miles
GII Fountain of Youth
1st
Rodriguez
Name: Rodriguez
ML Odds: 6-1
Owner(s): SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, et al.
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Dam: Cayala (Cherokee Run)
Sire: Authentic (Into Mischief)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
5
2
2
1
2025
4
2
1
1
2024
1
0
1
0
Saratoga Race Course
0
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
5Apr25-Aqueduct
1 1/8 Miles
GII Wood Memorial Stakes
1st
1Mar25-Santa Anita
1 1/16 Miles
GII San Felipe Stakes
3rd
1Feb25-Santa Anita
1 Mile
GIII Robert B Lewis
2nd
Uncaged
Name: Uncaged
ML Odds: 30-1
Owner(s): WinStar Farm LLC and Repole Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez
Dam: Dark Nile (Pioneerof the Nile)
Sire: Curlin (Smart Strike)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
4
2
0
0
2025
3
1
0
0
2024
1
1
0
0
Saratoga Race Course
1
1
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
10May25-Aqueduct
1 1/8 Miles
GIII Peter Pan
6th
6Apr25-Aqueduct
1 Mile
OC 100k/N1X-N
1st
2Mar25-Gulfstream Park
6 Furlongs
OC 75k/N1X-N
4th
Crudo
Name: Crudo
ML Odds: 15-1
Owner(s): Bobby Flay and James Ventura
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Dam: Blossomed (Deputy Minister)
Sire: Justify (Scat Daddy)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
3
2
0
0
2025
3
2
0
0
2024
0
0
0
0
Saratoga Race Course
0
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
17May25-Pimlico
1 1/16 Miles
Sir Barton Stakes 100k
1st
19Apr25-Keeneland
7 Furlongs
Md Sp Wt 110k
1st
8Feb25-Gulfstream Park
6 Furlongs
Md Sp Wt 70k
4th
Baeza
Name: Baeza
ML Odds: 4-1
Owner(s): C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Dam: Puca (Big Brown)
Sire: McKinzie (Street Sense)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
5
1
2
1
2025
4
1
2
1
2024
1
0
0
0
Saratoga Race Course
0
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
3May25-Churchill Downs
1 1/4 Miles
GI Kentucky Derby
3rd
5Apr25-Santa Anita
1 1/8 Miles
GI Santa Anita Derby
2nd
14Feb25-Santa Anita
1 Mile
Md Sp Wt 60k
1st
Journalism
Name: Journalism
ML Odds: 8-5
Owner(s): Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, et al.
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
Dam: Mopotism (Uncle Mo)
Sire: Curlin (Smart Strike)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
7
5
1
1
2025
4
3
1
0
2024
3
2
0
1
Saratoga Race Course
0
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
17May25-Pimlico
1 3/16 Miles
GI Preakness Stakes
1st
3May25-Churchill Downs
1 1/4 Miles
GI Kentucky Derby
2nd
5Apr25-Santa Anita
1 1/8 Miles
GI Santa Anita Derby
1st
Heart of Honor (GB)
Name: Heart of Honor (GB)
ML Odds: 30-1
Owner(s): Jim And Claire Limited
Trainer: Jamie Osborne
Jockey: Saffie Osborne
Dam: Ruby Love*Chi (Scat Daddy)
Sire: Honor A. P. (Honor Code)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
7
2
4
0
2025
5
1
3
0
2024
2
1
1
0
Saratoga Race Course
0
0
0
0
Date-Track
Length
Race
Results
17May25-Pimlico
1 3/16 Miles
GI Preakness Stakes
5th
5Apr25-Meydan (UAE)
1 3/16 Miles
GII UAE Derby
2nd
21Feb25-Meydan (UAE)
1 3/16 Miles
Al Bastakiya Stakes
2nd
Previous Races Against Fellow Entrants:
Date-Track
Race
Results
May 10th, 2025 – PIM
GI Preakness
(1st) Journalism, (5th) Heart of Honor
May 10th, 2025 – BAQ
GIII Peter Pan Stakes
(1st) Hill Road, (6th) Uncaged
May 3rd, 2025 – CD
GI Kentucky Derby
(1st) Sovereignty, (2nd) Journalism, (3rd) Baeza
April 5th, 2025 – SA
GI Santa Anita Derby
(1st) Journalism, (2nd) Baeza
March 11th, 2025 – SA
GII San Felipe Stakes
(1st) Journalism, (3rd) Rodriguez
January 4th, 2025 – SA
Md Sp Wt 60k
(1st) Rodriguez, (2nd) Baeza
Projected Pace:
Pacesetter
(3) Rodriguez
(5) Crudo
Press the Pace/ Stalkers
(4) Baeza
(6) Uncaged
Closers
(1) Hill Road
(2) Sovereignty
(7) Journalism
(8) Heart of Honor
Race Breakdown
When handicapping this year’s Belmont Stakes, the race feels like it runs through three—maybe four—serious contenders. But before we dive into the top threats, let’s first break down the horses I’ll be against on race day: Hill Road, Uncaged, and Heart of Honor.
Tosses
Hill Road made his U.S. debut with promise, finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and later winning the Peter Pan Stakes. While the Peter Pan has produced past Belmont winners, I’m not convinced Hill Road possesses the late kick or stamina to match the elite closers in this field. He’s improved, but not enough to factor against this group.
Uncaged hasn’t progressed since his debut win at Saratoga last summer—that remains his highest speed figure. He finished sixth in the Peter Pan and seems better suited to muddy tracks, where both his wins came. Unless the skies open up on Saturday, he looks completely outclassed.
Heart of Honor was fifth in the Preakness in his North American debut but was never a serious factor. While he’s been consistent overseas, he lacks the cruising speed and closing ability needed to keep up with this field. He’s an easy toss for me.
Exotic Players
Crudo is lightly raced but interesting. He’s won back-to-back starts, including the Sir Barton Stakes on Preakness Day, and has shown steady improvement each time out. He’s bred for the distance—his sire Justify won the Belmont en route to a Triple Crown—and while he’s untested against top-level stakes company, he’s trending the right way. A logical underneath player.
Rodriguez could be dangerous if the race shape falls his way. He won the Wood Memorial in front-running fashion and has had time to recover from a minor setback that kept him out of the Derby and Preakness. If the pace is more moderate than expected, he could steal it on the front end. A live longshot with a proven foundation.
Main Contenders
The top tier features Sovereignty, Baeza, and Journalism—the three most credentialed runners in this field. Sovereignty enters off his Kentucky Derby win, Baeza finished a strong third after a wide trip, and Journalism comes off a gritty Preakness score. Any of them could win with the right setup, but with all three likely to take significant money, I’m more inclined to use them in exotics than single out one as a clear winner.
Race 12: #2 Integration, #4 Carson’s Run, #6 Spirit of St Louis
Race 13: #2 Sovereignty, #7 Journalism
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative is always encouraged.
