Belmont Stakes Payout History

The Belmont Stakes is the last of the three Triple Crown races. Traditionally run three weeks after the Preakness Stakes, this year, it happens on schedule on Saturday, June 6, in 2026. The race is expected to feature the return of the top two finishers in the Kentucky Derby, Golden Tempo and Renegade. It is the second year in a row that the Kentucky Derby winner has bypassed the Preakness and gone straight to the third jewel of the Triple Crown – and it worked well for Sovereignty, who won the 2025 Belmont Stakes even more convincingly than he won the Derby.

Traditionally, the Belmont Stakes is a 1 ½-mile race for three-year-olds at 1 ½ miles on the Belmont Park main track, making it the longest race of the Triple Crown series and one of the longest races the entrants ever contest. However, this year, the race is a little shorter: 1 ¼ miles, the same length as the Kentucky Derby.

This is because, during the Belmont Park construction project, the race is being run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. To run 1 ½ miles on the dirt at Saratoga, the starting gate would have to be put on a turn, a major disadvantage for outside post positions. So, the New York Racing Association shortened it up. The horses go the Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes (G1) distance instead. It is still one of the longest distances in American horse racing, however, and makes for a fascinating betting picture.

Get ready to bet on the Belmont Stakes winner with FanDuel Racing. Explore the exciting 2026 Belmont promos available on FDR. Stay updated on the Belmont Stakes odds as we approach The Test of the Champion!

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Belmont Stakes Betting Payouts and Trends

The Belmont Stakes is a lucrative opportunity for the connections of the horses. The race offers a $2 million purse, and horses who run well in the Belmont Stakes are well set for other big-money races through the summer and fall, like the Haskell (G1), Travers (G1), and Breeders’ Cup Classic. However, it’s a lucrative opportunity for bettors as well. As with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, historical trends can help you get an idea of where the value tends to be in the betting pool, and thus how to choose your wagers wisely to go for maximum payouts.

Keep these historical trends in mind as you assess the entrants in the third jewel of the Triple Crown!

Performance of Favorites in the Belmont Stakes

Favorites in the Belmont Stakes tend to run well, though in the long term, they are not the best bets to make in the win pool. This is part of what makes the Belmont Stakes an excellent betting race.

Performance of Favorites in General

In 157 runnings, dating back to the first Belmont Stakes in 1867, 66 favorites have won the race, meaning a 42% historical strike rate for favorites. In the 26 editions since 2000, only seven have gone on to Belmont victory – that’s a 27% strike rate, meaning favorites in recent editions have been generally less successful than in history. (As hard as it is to believe now, Sovereignty wasn’t even the favorite in 2025!)

However, that isn’t to say favorites haven’t been running well at all in recent times – favorites have been among the top three finishers in 17 of those 25 editions (68%), including every year from 2017 to the present. Based on that trend, it can be a good idea to key the favorite in the Belmont Stakes, and build around them with longer shots and new faces who like Saratoga or look like they want to step up in trip.

Bet Against Odds-On Favorites

Historically speaking, it is smart to bet against odds-on favorites in the Belmont Stakes. Going back to 1940, when on-track bookmaking was replaced with pari-mutuel wagering in New York, there have been 37 horses who went off at less than even money.

Thinking in terms of implied odds, even-money means the horse has a 50% chance to win the race, and less than even-money suggests the horse has more than a 50% chance. Yet, of those 37 odds-on favorites, only 14 have gone on to be the winning horse – a 37.8% strike rate. Favorites at less than even money have gone 3-for-6 since 2000, which is still an underlay for horses whose implied odds suggest a higher than 50% chance of winning.

Recent Belmont Stakes Winners and Payouts

These are the payouts for Belmont Stakes winners since 2000:

Highest Belmont Stakes Payouts

Given the length of the Belmont Stakes and its taxing position on the calendar as the third and final jewel of the Triple Crown, some surprising long shots have won the Belmont over its history. None has been so surprising, of course, as Sarava: the $142.50 winner trained by Kenny McPeek in 2002, who was ignored at the windows in his graded-stakes debut behind Triple Crown hopeful War Emblem, and then outbattled Medaglia d’Oro in a thriller.

Though some of the longest prices in the Belmont Stakes have come when horses failed Triple Crown bids, that hasn’t been the case for every one of the longest prices in history, among the ten longest shots to win the race, seven of the ten were Triple Crown spoilers – though Temperence Hill, Ruler On Ice, and Commendable blew up the tote despite there not being a Triple Crown on the line.

These are the ten longest shots to win the Belmont Stakes:

Belmont Stakes Exacta Payouts

One of the best ways to go for a big payout in the Belmont Stakes is to play exotic wagers. They are more difficult to hit than straight win, place, or show wagers since they depend on the performance of more than one horse. However, it’s a great way to make the most of an opinion.

For example, if you have a strong opinion on one horse, and a limited list of others you think can run well, you can use your strong opinion as a key and then play a few other horses around them in an exacta key or key box wager. This especially works if you have a long shot key, or a strong favorite to key around a few longer shots. For example, the $2 exacta with Triple Crown winner Justify over long shot Gronkowski still paid $89.00 despite the odds-on winner, and in 2013, the exacta paid $323.50 despite the fact that last-out Preakness winner Oxbow finished second.

These are the Belmont Stakes exacta finishers, their win pool odds, and the $2 exacta payouts for each year since 2000:

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 (fanduel.com/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.