2025 Belmont Derby Preview

Key Takeaways:

• Test Score is a top Belmont Derby contender with tactical speed and improving form, coming off a strong second in the American Turf (G1) after winning the Transylvania (G3); in a pace-light field, his versatility gives him a major edge.
• New Century closed well for third in the American Turf and brings transatlantic class and rider Oisin Murphy; a slightly more forward trip could put him in perfect position at Saratoga.
• Tank could be the surprise package—he's untested at this level but in top form on turf, has controlling early speed, and may prove hard to catch if the course favors front-runners.
• Flying Mohawk returns to turf after a Derby misfire; he’s proven at the distance, handles layoffs well, and brings the right blend of class and adaptability to rebound at a price.

Racing action moves to Saratoga early this year, with construction on the new Belmont Park still ongoing, the classy long July 4 weekend of racing happens at Saratoga this year. The first Grade 1 race of the festival is the Belmont Derby, a 1 ⅛-mile race for three-year-olds on the grass. The race happens on Friday, July 4, and drew a field of eight exciting grass runners.

The race is the first leg of the prestigious New York Turf Triple, one of the most exciting new traditions in horse racing. In recent years, American racing has done a lot to build the turf division, both to help make American horses competitive in international turf stakes and to entice trainers around the world to run their stars in our races.

The Belmont Derby begins this series of races for the best sophomores on the grass. It continues with the Saratoga Derby (G1) on August 2 at the Spa, and finishes up in early October at Aqueduct with the Jockey Club Derby. No horse has swept all three yet, but the first step toward making that history is winning the Belmont Derby!

2025 Belmont Derby Information

• Race Date: Friday, July 4
• Track: Saratoga Race Course
• Post Time: 5:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ⅛ miles on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Belmont Derby Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Belmont Derby, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds:

Belmont Derby Prep Race Results

All eight horses in the Belmont Derby come out of stakes races: three come out of graded stakes on the grass, three come from ungraded stakes on turf, and two others come from graded races on the dirt.

The second- and third-place finishers in the American Turf (G1) come back here. Test Score tracked in range and chased on for second, 1 ¼ lengths behind Zulu Kingdom. New Century closed from near the rear in that race and finished third, just a nose behind Test Score. The other coming out of top-level company is Luther, who will try to bounce back from a 15th-place finish in the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) at Chantilly on June 1.

Three others step up to the Belmont Derby from ungraded company. Tank won his third straight race on June 7 in the Not Surprising, a 1 1/16-mile race at Gulfstream Park. Two others last raced in the Audubon, a 1 ⅛-mile race at Churchill Downs on May 31. World Beater rallied from midfield to get up by a neck, while Early Adopter will have to bounce back from a flat fifth as the favorite.

Both Final Gambit and Flying Mohawk return to the lawn after racing on the all-weather and then the dirt. Final Gambit was most recently fourth in the Matt Winn (G3) on June 8, while Flying Mohawk has freshened up since an 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Belmont Derby Contenders

These are the eight contenders, in order of their post positions:

1. Tank: He needed a drop to a claimer to break his maiden last October, but a move to the turf has turned him into a solid Florida stakes horse. He has won three straight stakes on the lawn—a Florida-bred event and then two open ones. This will be his first start outside the Sunshine State, and his first in graded company. So, he has class to prove. He also has to prove he can stay 1 ⅛ miles, a distance he has never tried and isn’t exactly bred for. However, with very little speed drawn into this race, he looks like the horse to catch. At a price, he could be worth a swing, especially if the turf is playing well for speed.
2. Early Adopter: He was bet down to favoritism in the Audubon last out on the heels of an allowance win, but didn’t rally and finished fifth. He’ll probably take money again in the Belmont Derby just because he is trained by Chad Brown, and perhaps the return to Saratoga (where he won last year) and to jockey Jose Ortiz (who won with him two back) could help, but there is reason to be skeptical. He is a late-running sort in a race without a lot of early speed, meaning he won’t get a great setup.
3. Luther: He was well beaten in the Prix du Jockey Club in France last out, but now cuts back in trip. The question is whether he cuts back enough for the Belmont Derby, since his best form has come at seven furlongs or a mile. However, his two-back fourth behind Henri Matisse in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) at Longchamp was a good effort, and means he fits the profile of a horse who is close-but-no-cigar in a good race overseas and then comes stateside. It also jumps out that jockey Kiaran Shoemark comes for this ride, and only this ride. The one drawback is the pace; he doesn’t have much early speed, and the pace won’t be hot here.
4. New Century: A stakes winner on both sides of the Atlantic, New Century was a late-running third behind Zulu Kingdom in the American Turf last out. Though he often comes from well off the pace, looking back in some of his earlier form, he doesn’t have to do that—he ran closer to the pace in some starts last summer and has done so with jockey Oisin Murphy, who comes across the ocean to ride. He also has an appealing pedigree for the stretch out to 1 ⅛ miles, being by Kameko out of a Street Cry mare.
5. Test Score: Hopes have always been high for this Graham Motion trainee, as he tried graded company last year before he had even broken his maiden. He has really put it together in his last two starts, winning the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland two back and running a good second in the American Turf. In a race like the Belmont Derby, with so many closers, his tactical speed gives him a pace advantage—if Tank can’t cut it on the front end, he’ll have an earlier run than many of his foes, and that could be exactly what he needs.
6. Final Gambit: He debuted on the grass, but really flourished on the all-weather and has even shown some good dirt form, running fourth in the Kentucky Derby despite that being his first try on dirt. After a fourth-place finish (of four) in the Matt Winn, though, it’s back to the lawn for this Brad Cox trainee. He has done his best and classiest work as a closer, like too many of his foes here, though a second-place finish in maiden company from closer to the pace suggests he may have another dimension. It’s also a plus that the best race of his life came at 1 ⅛ miles (albeit on Tapeta) in the Jeff Ruby—and that day, he closed into a modest pace, another plus.
7. World Beater: It took this Riley Mott trainee five tries to get off the mark, but he put it together two back at Churchill Downs, trying 1 ⅛ miles on turf for the first time. He won right back over that same course and distance in the Audubon. Those are all positives, but now he steps into graded company at the Belmont Derby for the first time, and there are some questions surrounding him. He is another who would be better suited if he had more pace to close into, and the barn has underperformed in graded stakes.
8. Flying Mohawk: A try on the dirt last out in the Kentucky Derby didn’t go well, so it’s back to his best-proven surface, the lawn. He is versatile enough to win from near the pace or off of it, a positive both for handling the outside post and for handling the lack of pace drawn into this field. He has also run some good efforts before off of similar freshenings, including his allowance win at Fair Grounds and his good second in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) behind Final Gambit on the all-weather. Demand a price, but on his best, there’s reason to think this Whit Beckman trainee can bounce back.

Belmont Derby FAQ

Q: When is the Belmont Derby?

A: Friday, July 4, 2025, at 5:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Belmont Derby?

A: In 2025, the Belmont Derby will be run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is usually run at Belmont Park, which is under construction. It will return to the renovated park in Elmont once NYRA finishes construction.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Belmont Derby?

A: Since the old Jamaica Handicap was moved to July and recast as the Belmont Derby, the only trainer to win this race more than once is Aidan O’Brien. He won with both Deauville (2016) and Bolshoi Ballet (2021). Among the trainers entered in the 2025 edition, the only one who has won before is Graham Motion (Test Score), who won in 2024 with Trikari.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Belmont Derby?

A: Despite coming out of a dirt race and not having run on turf since his debut, the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the Belmont Derby is Final Gambit for trainer Brad Cox. He may take money on name recognition, but don’t be surprised if more proven turf horses like New Century (3-1) or Test Score (4-1) vie for favoritism or even end up the betting choices come post time.

Q: Who is the best Belmont Derby jockey?

A: Jose Lezcano and Jose Ortiz have both won the Belmont Derby twice. Lezcano won with both Mr Speaker (2014) and Henley’s Joy (2019), while Ortiz did so with Oscar Performance (2017) and Far Bridge (2023). Jose Ortiz can make it three if he wins in 2025 with Early Adopter.

Q: Who won the Belmont Derby in 2024?

A: Trikari won the 2024 Belmont Derby for trainer Graham Motion and jockey John Velazquez. Motion returns with Test Score, who will be ridden by Manuel Franco. Velazquez does not have a call in the race this year.

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