Belmont Stakes 2026 Key Facts: Horses, Odds, and Contenders for Race Today

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 2026: What You Need to Know, Key Facts

The 158th Belmont Stakes runs tonight, Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Post time is approximately 7:04 p.m. ET. FOX carries the broadcast, with coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET and streaming on FOX One. The Belmont is scheduled as race 13 of 14 on the card, on the fourth of five days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The race is 1 1/4 miles on dirt, with a $2 million purse and $1.2 million going to the winner. Nine horses are entered. The morning-line favorite is Renegade at 2-1, and the Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, is only the 9-2 third choice.

It is the last Belmont at Saratoga, and that changes the math

For the third consecutive year, the Belmont Stakes is being run at Saratoga rather than at its traditional home, Belmont Park. This is the last one. Belmont Park is finishing a $455 million reconstruction, the new facility is scheduled to reopen Friday, September 18, 2026, and the Belmont Stakes returns there in 2027.

That has a direct effect on how you handicap. The historic Belmont is run at 1 1/2 miles, the longest test in the Triple Crown. At Saratoga, the main track cannot hold a 1 1/2-mile race, so the Belmont is contested at 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby and Saratoga's signature Travers Stakes. Most of the post-position trends, closing-bias trends, and speed benchmarks that handicappers lean on come from the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Park era. They do not transfer cleanly to a shorter race around a different oval. For one more year, you are working with Saratoga math, not Belmont math.

For context on the kind of clock this distance produces: Secretariat's 1 1/4-mile fraction inside his 1973 Belmont was 1:59, and the Travers Stakes record at the same 1 1/4 miles is 1:59.36, set by Arrogate in 2016. A true 10-furlong test at Saratoga rewards a horse that can carry speed and still finish.

The Kentucky Derby winner is not the favorite

Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2 as a 23-1 upset. Five weeks later he is the 9-2 third choice on the Belmont morning line, and he drew the outside post 9.

Here is the part worth knowing before you bet. The two horses chasing him at Churchill Downs are now the two horses in front of him on the board. Renegade, who lost the Derby by a neck, is the 2-1 Belmont favorite from post 4. Chief Wallabee, who finished fourth in the Derby, is the 3-1 second choice from post 3. The finish order from the first Saturday in May has effectively flipped on the morning line for the third Saturday in June.

Golden Tempo is taking the exact route 2025 Belmont winner Sovereignty took: skip the Preakness, freshen up, and point straight to the Belmont on five weeks of rest. He is the second straight Derby winner to follow that playbook. His trainer, Cherie DeVaux, made history on May 2 as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, and she now sends him out for a second classic.

The favorite keeps finishing second

Renegade is the 2-1 favorite, and he has built that price largely on near-misses. He was the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby, went off as the 5-1 second choice, broke from the rail, had a rough trip, and lost by a neck. Before that he won the Arkansas Derby and the Sam F. Davis Stakes. He is owned by Repole Stable and bred by Robert and Lawana Low, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the leading active trainer in the race with four Belmont wins. The talent is not in question. Whether he can finally turn second into first at a flat 1 1/4 miles is the bet.

Storylines to know before you bet

Chad Brown is running a third of the field

Chad Brown saddles three of the nine starters: Emerging Market (6-1, post 8), Growth Equity (12-1, post 6), and Ottinho (20-1, post 5). Three runners spread across the field give one barn multiple ways to influence the pace, press the leaders, or sit and pounce. Emerging Market is the most accomplished of the trio and the one getting the most respect on the board. When a single trainer controls a third of a small field, the pace scenario is partly his to shape.

Todd Pletcher has the favorite and a rabbit

Pletcher does not just have Renegade. He also sends out Powershift (12-1, post 2) for the same Repole Stable connections. Powershift is a fast, progressive colt who broke his maiden impressively at Churchill Downs, and his early speed could help set the table for the favorite. Jockey Luis Saez, aboard Powershift, has won this race twice, with Essential Quality in 2021 and Dornoch in 2024.

A longshot owned by Lil Wayne and Lil Yachty

The 30-1 outsider in post 1, Vitruvian Man, has the most famous ownership group in the field. Run Fast Racing, a partnership that includes recording artists Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, and Rauw Alejandro, bought into the colt alongside owner-breeder Glenn Sorgenstein. Because Vitruvian Man was never nominated to the Triple Crown, the group had to pay a $50,000 supplemental fee just to enter. He finished third in the Santa Anita Derby, is trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Doug O'Neill, and ridden by Antonio Fresu. The story is great. The form is a longshot's form.

No horse ran all three legs this year

Ocelli, who finished third in the Derby and fourth in the Preakness, was the only horse on track to contest all three Triple Crown races in 2026. His connections instead pointed him to a different spot, so this year's Triple Crown ends without a single horse having run in all three legs. Add in the fact that Preakness winner Napoleon Solo is not here either, and all three 2026 classics will be won by three different horses, with no rivalry carried all the way through the series.

Belmont Full Field at a Glance

Morning-line odds in parentheses. Listed by post position.

Two stats that should affect your ticket

The betting favorite has won the Belmont 42% of the time historically, 66 of 157 runnings, so the chalk is far from automatic in this race. Recent results back that up: 2025 winner Sovereignty was the 5-2 second choice, 2024 winner Dornoch went off near 17-1, and 2023 winner Arcangelo was the fifth choice on the board. A 2-1 favorite in a nine-horse field is beatable, and the prices behind him are worth a look.

The post-position record is a trap this year. Covers and the historical charts will show post 1 with the most Belmont wins since 1930. Almost all of those wins came at the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Park configuration, not at Saratoga's 1 1/4 miles around a different layout. Treat the long-run post data as background, not as a betting signal, until the race goes home to Belmont Park in 2027.

What to actually take away

Three things matter more than the rest. First, the morning line flipped: the horse who won the Derby is the third choice, and the two he beat are now favored, so the market is betting on the trip and the rest, not on the May 2 result. Second, this is Saratoga, not Belmont, for one last year, which means a flat 1 1/4 miles and post and pace trends that have to be read fresh. Third, the pace is partly in Chad Brown's and Todd Pletcher's hands, since five of the nine runners come from those two barns and several of them want the early lead.

The favorite is Renegade. The story is Golden Tempo trying to prove the Derby was no fluke. The history is the last running at Saratoga. Pick your reason, then check the odds closer to post. They will move.

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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.