2022 Belmont Stakes Contenders and Odds

2022 Belmont Stakes Contenders and Odds

Updated:

Belmont Stakes Contender Line Up

The 154th edition of the Belmont Stakes will be run on Saturday, June 11, 2022. The Test of the Champion drew a field of eight of the best three-year-olds of the year, including longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike and star filly Nest, who won the Ashland (G1) and finished second to Secret Oath in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The race covers 1 ½ miles on the sweeping Belmont track, and offers a $1.5 million purse and a place in horse racing history.

As the Belmont Stakes draws closer, stay tuned to Fanduel Racing for expert Belmont Stakes analysis and bet $5 to Win $100 on the Belmont! Eligible on your first single horse win-type wager.

Read on to get to know the 2022 Belmont Stakes field and the best horses to bet in the Test of the Champion!

Belmont Contender Positions and Field

This is the official field for the 2022 Belmont Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, last race results, and morning line odds:

We the People

Post: 1
Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Last Race: 1st, Peter Pan (G3)
Odds: 2-1

Skippylongstocking

Post: 2
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Manuel Franco
Last Race: 5th, Preakness (G1)
Odds: 20-1

Nest

Post: 3
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Last Race: 2nd, Kentucky Oaks (G1)
Odds: 8-1

Rich Strike

Post: 4
Trainer: Eric Reed
Jockey: Sonny Leon
Last Race: 1st, Kentucky Derby (G1)
Odds: 7-2

Creative Minister

Post: 5
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Last Race: 3rd, Preakness (G1)
Odds: 6-1

Mo Donegal

Post: 6
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Last Race: 5th, Kentucky Derby (G1)
Odds: 5-2

Golden Glider

Post: 7
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: Dylan Davis
Last Race: 2nd, Peter Pan (G3)
Odds: 20-1

Barber Road

Post: 8
Trainer: John Ortiz
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Last Race: 6th, Kentucky Derby (G1)
Odds: 10-1

Belmont Stakes Horse Profiles

Before you place your bets on the Belmont Stakes, take a moment to get to know the full field of contenders. After all, horse betting is a game of information. Knowing about their records, and about the things that help or hinder their case in the Test of the Champion, will help you make better determinations of betting value and help you make smarter bets in the Belmont Stakes!

Barber Road (Race Day x Encounter - Southern Image)
Trainer: John Ortiz

His career started modestly; he won at second asking for a $30,000 tag at Keeneland and then won a $30,000 starter allowance at Churchill Downs. Since then, he hit the board in five straight stakes races including all four points preps at Oaklawn, and then passed horses to cross the wire sixth in the Kentucky Derby. The Belmont distance may test his stamina, though his pace versatility plays in this consistent hard tryer’s favor.

Pros: He is a consistent and pace-versatile colt.
Cons: He has not won against stakes-quality company, and his distance pedigree is not as good as some of his opponents.

Creative Minister (Creative Cause x Tamboz - Tapit)
Trainer: Ken McPeek

After an impressive victory in an allowance on Kentucky Derby day, his connections paid $150,000 to supplement him into the Preakness Stakes and he repaid their faith by finishing third in a Classic in his stakes debut. He has the tactical speed that plays well at Belmont. He will have to prove his stamina since he has not gone longer than a mile and three-sixteenths. However, he ran well late in the Preakness, and both sire Creative Cause and damsire Tapit are positive influences for this longer race.

Pros: He is improving at the right time and does not have to drop as far off the pace position as some of his other foes.
Cons: He cedes experience to many of his opponents and his dam-side pedigree is not as distance-oriented as some other entrants.

Golden Glider (Ghostzapper x Golden Scarf - Orientate)
Trainer: Mark Casse

Golden Glider tried the Kentucky Derby trail, but could finish no better than fourth in a trio of points races he tried. It was interesting that this midpack-to-closing type tried a stalking trip when finishing fourth in the Blue Grass (G1), though last out in the Peter Pan he reverted to something more midpack and proved no threat when he finished second to We the People. Sire Ghostzapper can pass on stamina, with the likes of Shaman Ghost and Mystic Guide as proof. Looking underneath, even though Golden Glider’s third dam produced Belmont winner Touch Gold, the form closer up in his family has skewed toward shorter distances, raising questions for this race.

Pros: He finished second at Belmont last out, and sire Ghostzapper can pass on stamina.
Cons: His female family does not suggest distance, and he has not yet proven that he has the speed or class to match a Grade 1 field.

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo x Callingmissbrown - Pulpit)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner Donegal Racing typically shops for stamina when buying yearlings at the sales, and this son of Uncle Mo is no exception. He showed his ability to go long at age two when he won the nine-furlong Remsen (G2), and won again going that distance at Aqueduct when he took the Wood (G2). He ran on late to cash the last check in the Kentucky Derby, finishing fifth behind Rich Strike in the Derby. He is bred for stamina, and though his more recent outings suggest he is a closer, earlier races (including his Remsen win) suggest he does not have to drop as far as he has been lately. If he reprises that style he can be a threat.

Pros: He is well-proven at Belmont, well-bred for the distance, and has some back races that suggest he has tactical speed.
Cons: His recent races have him coming from farther off the pace than he would want to be in this field.

Nest (Curlin x Marion Ravenwood - A.P. Indy)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Todd Pletcher won the Belmont with a filly in 2007 when Rags to Riches nosed out Curlin. Now, Todd Pletcher aims to win it with another filly, this daughter of the aforementioned Curlin. She is bred extremely well for distance: in addition to just missing in the race sire Curlin produced Belmont winner Palace Malice, A.P. Indy won the Belmont as well, and Nest is a full sister to Idol, a Grade 1 winner at a mile and a quarter. Nest looked like a world-beater when she tracked the pace and took complete command in the Ashland (G1), though she will have to bounce back from her churning second in the Kentucky Oaks.

Pros: She is tactically versatile, bred beautifully for the Belmont distance, and her trainer has won the Belmont with a filly before.
Cons: She needs to improve significantly from her second-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks, and has to do so against boys.

Rich Strike (Keen Ice x Gold Strike - Smart Strike)
Trainer: Eric Reed

The original plan was to run Rich Strike in the Belmont after the Kentucky Derby, or to run him there if he did not draw into the Derby at all. He won the Kentucky Derby at 80-1 odds and was briefly probable for the Preakness, but his connections have instead decided to revert to their original plans and route Rich Strike straight to the Belmont Stakes. The 1 ½-mile distance should suit Rich Strike’s stamina-oriented pedigree beautifully. However, Rich Strike’s deep-closing style typically proves a liability, and more often results in minor awards than Belmont glory.

Pros: His Derby win suggests he is an improving horse who likes dirt, and he has strong distance breeding.
Cons: He will have to close into a slow pace in the Belmont Stakes, and he is not yet proven over the Belmont course in a race.

Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator - Twinkling x War Chant)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Two starts ago he finished third in the Wood Memorial (G2), three and a half lengths behind Belmont probable Mo Donegal and next-out Preakness winner Early Voting. He stretched out for the Preakness, a race his sire Exaggerator won in 2016, but again lacked a real kick and finished an even fifth. He rarely runs truly poor races, though he has yet to show his best form outside of Gulfstream Park, a problem common across many horses based there. And, the pedigree raises questions. Despite the stamina on the top end of his pedigree, his dam’s side tends more towards sprints and middle distances.

Pros: He is consistent enough to run decent races most of the time and his sire should give him some stamina.
Cons: His dam’s side does not suggest the Belmont distance, and he has yet to prove he is as good away from Gulfstream as he is there.

We the People (Constitution - Letchworth x Tiznow)
Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset

A jump straight from an allowance win at Oaklawn to the Arkansas Derby (G1) was a bridge too far. Even so, his connections kept him in the stakes ranks for the Peter Pan (G3). He rewarded them with a wire-to-wire victory where he crossed the wire ten and a quarter lengths clear. His running style is strong for the Belmont: though he wired the Peter Pan, he showed in his maiden and allowance races that he does not have to make the top to win a race. The pedigree is a mixed bag: sire Constitution is a son of strong Belmont influence Tapit and damsire Tiznow are good to see, though his dam is an unraced daughter out of sprinter Harmony Lodge.

Pros: His sire and damsire should give him some stamina, and he has an excellent chance to make an uncontested lead.
Cons: The closer generations of his female family do not suggest a mile and a half, and he faltered the last time he faced a Grade 1 field.

How to Bet on the Belmont Stakes?

As you get ready to place your bets on the 2022 Belmont Stakes, it pays to stay tuned to FanDuel Racing! FDR provides horse racing coverage and picks for all major races, including the Belmont Stakes in New York. Sign up with FanDuel Racing today to receive your bonus.

And, remember; the Duel team is on hand to provide in-depth analysis, horse racing news, expert picks, and latest updates on the final leg of the 2022 Triple Crown at Belmont Park!

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