2026 Belmont Stakes Expert Picks and Predictions

The Kentucky Derby winner is not the favorite, the runner-up he beat by a neck is, and this is the last time the Belmont will be run at Saratoga before it goes home to a rebuilt Belmont Park. Here are the facts that matter before you bet the 158th running today.

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Belmont Stakes Expert Picks & Predictions for the 2026 Race

The 158th Test of the Champion stays at Saratoga for one final running at 1 1/4 miles. Check out our FanDuel TV expert picks for who takes the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

The 2026 Belmont Stakes arrives at Saratoga Race Course for the third year in a row, and for the last time. With Belmont Park in the final stretch of its $455 million rebuild, the "Test of the Champion" is once again being contested over 1 1/4 miles rather than its traditional mile and a half. When the gates open Saturday evening, it will be the final Belmont run at Saratoga before the race returns to a brand new Belmont Park on Long Island in 2027.

There is no Triple Crown on the line, but there is a marquee rematch. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, who skipped the Preakness to point straight for this race, is back to face Renegade, the colt who chased him home by a neck at Churchill Downs. The Ortiz brothers finished one to two in the Derby aboard those two, and they are reunited here in a compact field of nine.

That field is tightly bunched at the top of the market. Renegade is the 2-1 morning line favorite, Bill Mott's Chief Wallabee sits at 3-1, and Golden Tempo is the 9-2 third choice. Commandment and Emerging Market round out the single digits at 6-1, leaving real value in the middle and bottom of a race with no obvious lone speed.

2026 Belmont Stakes: At a Glance

• Race: 158th Belmont Stakes (G1)
• Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
• Track: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
• Post Time: 7:04 PM ET
• Distance: 1 1/4 Miles (Dirt)
• Purse: $2 Million
• TV: FOX
• Field Size: 9 Horses

FanDuel TV Expert Picks for the 2026 Belmont Stakes

Our FanDuel TV analysts have weighed in with their selections for the 158th Belmont Stakes. The panel is split three ways across the top of the market, with Chief Wallabee drawing the most support. Here is where everyone landed:

• Dave Weaver (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Chief Wallabee (3-1)
• Scott Hazelton (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Chief Wallabee (3-1)
• Simon Bray (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Chief Wallabee (3-1)
• Curtis Kalleward (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Chief Wallabee (3-1)
• Andie Biancone (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Renegade (2-1)
• Caton Bredar (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Renegade (2-1)
• Christina Blacker (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Renegade (2-1)
• Joaquin Jaime (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Emerging Market (6-1)
• José Contreras (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Emerging Market (6-1)
• Kurt Hoover (FanDuel TV Racing Analyst) Pick: Growth Equity (12-1)

What Our Analysts Are Saying

On Chief Wallabee (3-1)

Dave Weaver notes that while the colt did not get much luck in the Kentucky Derby, a clean trip should be enough to win here, which would give trainer Bill Mott back to back Belmont victories. Scott Hazelton likes that Chief Wallabee is finally getting more experience under his belt and believes the longer gap between the Derby and the Belmont works heavily in his favor. Simon Bray points out that plenty of horses had rough trips at Churchill Downs, but Chief Wallabee had one of the absolute roughest. He expects a much cleaner run this weekend and adds that the colt is lightly raced, improving at the right time, and has put in a key bullet work since the Derby. Curtis Kalleward leans on pedigree, noting that the offspring of Tapit love the Belmont, and as a grandson of Tapit, Chief Wallabee fits the profile.

On Renegade (2-1)

Andie Biancone reminds viewers that Renegade finished second in the Derby despite getting absolutely obliterated at the start, and she is impressed he overcame that much adversity to finish so strongly. She calls him one of the best horses she has ever sat on, having galloped him herself before the Arkansas Derby. Caton Bredar makes the historical case that the best horse does not always win the Derby, but the best horse usually does win the Belmont, and she firmly believes Renegade is that horse. Christina Blacker backs him as her top selection and likes that he is off the rail for this spot.

On Emerging Market (6-1)

José Contreras picked Emerging Market in the Derby and is sticking with him, liking that jockey Flavien Prat stays aboard and that the colt is still lightly raced with plenty of upside left to show. Joaquin Jaime confidently locks him in as his definitive choice.

On Growth Equity (12-1)

Kurt Hoover respects the three main horses out of the Derby but believes this year's running at Saratoga is ripe for a major upset. He likes that Growth Equity has improved with each of his four career starts, is sired by Nyquist so the distance will not be an issue, and comes off a highly impressive Peter Pan Stakes win at a great price.

Exotic Bets: Exacta & Trifecta

With a bunched-up top of the market and questionable early speed, the Belmont rewards players who build around a value horse rather than betting the favorite flat. Here are the combinations our analysts recommend:

Exacta: Key #3 Chief Wallabee over #4 Renegade, #8 Emerging Market, #7 Commandment

Trifecta: #3 Chief Wallabee / #4 Renegade, #8 Emerging Market / #7 Commandment, #6 Growth Equity, #9 Golden Tempo

Longshot to watch: Growth Equity (#6, 12-1), a steadily improving colt by Nyquist who fits the distance and comes off a sharp Peter Pan win. Include him in the bottom of your trifecta.

2026 Belmont Stakes Field & Odds

Here is the full nine-horse field for the 2026 Belmont Stakes with post positions, jockeys, trainers, and morning line odds:

Key Storylines for the 2026 Belmont

The Final Belmont at Saratoga

For the third straight year, the Belmont Stakes is being run upstate at Saratoga while Belmont Park is rebuilt, and 2026 is the last time. Because Saratoga's main track is smaller, the race is contested at 1 1/4 miles instead of the classic mile and a half, which changes the stamina math and makes the traditional Belmont distance records less useful as a guide. The new Belmont Park opens in September 2026 with a one mile all weather Tapeta oval and a compact modern grandstand, and the Belmont Stakes returns to Long Island in 2027. For one more year, the Test of the Champion is a Saratoga story.

Renegade: The Derby Runner-Up Looking to Turn the Tables

Renegade is the one to beat as the 2-1 morning line favorite, and the case is simple. He finished second in the Kentucky Derby by a neck after a brutal start, he won both the Arkansas Derby and the Sam F. Davis along the way, and he draws a clean post in a small field. The knock is the price. He has been bet heavily, and bettors will have to decide whether a horse who needed a dream trip to finish second is worth a short number in a race with a very different shape.

Chief Wallabee: Mott's Bid for Back-to-Back and the Tapit Angle

Bill Mott won the 2025 Belmont with Sovereignty, and Chief Wallabee gives him a chance to go back to back, a feat no trainer has pulled off since D. Wayne Lukas in the mid-1990s. The colt had one of the roughest trips in the Derby before finishing fourth, has trained forwardly with a bullet work since, and carries a pedigree that fits this race like a glove. He is by Constitution, a son of Tapit, which makes him a grandson of a sire who has won the Belmont four times and whose male line has produced five of the last twelve winners. Improving form, a clean trip, and a Belmont pedigree at a fair price is a strong combination.

Golden Tempo: The Derby Winner Comes Home

Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness specifically to wait for this race, and now the Derby winner returns at 9-2. His trainer, Cherie DeVaux, grew up in Saratoga Springs, so this is a hometown start for the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner. The question is the trip. Golden Tempo closed from the back of the pack to win at Churchill Downs, and if this field lacks the early pace to set things up, a deep closer may not get the same chance to run them down.

Chad Brown's Three-Horse Hand

Five-time Eclipse Award winner and Mechanicville, New York native Chad Brown is winless in the Belmont in five tries, and he attacks this one with three live runners: Emerging Market, Growth Equity, and Ottinho. Emerging Market keeps Flavien Prat and is still lightly raced with upside, while Growth Equity steps up off a Peter Pan score that has been a proven Belmont launchpad. If the favorites stumble, Brown is well positioned to finally break through at home.

FanDuel Research Best Bet

Chief Wallabee to Win

A rough trip masked a better effort than his fourth-place Derby finish suggests, and the extra time between races points to a colt still on the improve. With Bill Mott chasing back to back Belmonts and a Tapit-line pedigree that loves this race, Chief Wallabee looks like the best value near the top of a bunched market, especially against a favorite who has been bet down hard. Key him on top of your exacta and trifecta tickets with Renegade, Emerging Market, and Commandment.

Looking for our Belmont Stakes picks and predictions for 2026?

Frequently Asked Questions: 2026 Belmont Stakes

Who is the morning line favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes?

Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., is the 2-1 morning line favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes. Renegade draws from post position 4 in the 9-horse field. Chief Wallabee, also trained by a top conditioner and ridden by Junior Alvarado out of post 3, is the second choice at 3-1, followed by Golden Tempo at 9-2. You can bet on the Belmont Stakes morning line favorite and the full field at FanDuel Racing.

When and where is the 2026 Belmont Stakes and what time is post time?

The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes takes place on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Post time for The Test of the Champion is 7:04 p.m. ET. This is the third and final year the race will be held at Saratoga while Belmont Park undergoes a full reconstruction project. The race is contested at 1¼ miles due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track, shorter than the traditional 1½-mile distance at Belmont Park. The Belmont Stakes will return to a newly reimagined Belmont Park beginning in 2027. New FanDuel Racing users can place their first bet of $10 and get $50 back in Racing Bonus ahead of race day.

How can I bet on the 2026 Belmont Stakes and are there any promotions available?

You can bet on the 2026 Belmont Stakes winner and all associated wagering markets at FanDuel Racing. Belmont Stakes odds are available across win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta markets. New FanDuel Racing users can take advantage of a promotional offer where you place your first bet of $10 on any race at any track and receive $50 back in Racing Bonus. Additional 2026 Belmont Stakes promos are available on FanDuel Racing. The full morning line odds for all 9 horses, including the 2-1 favorite Renegade and longshots Vitruvian Man at 30-1 and Ottinho at 20-1 — are listed above. Stay updated on live Belmont Stakes odds as they shift ahead of the Saturday, June 6 post time.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.