Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Belmont Stakes Preview
Scheduled to take place in June of each year at the Belmont Park racetrack is the Belmont Stakes, the 2024 renewal will be the 156th running of this Grade 1 race, which dates back to 1867. The race is run on the dirt over a trip of twelve furlongs, which is open to 3-year-old colts & geldings who will carry 9-0 (126lbs) and 3-year-old fillies who will carry 8-9 (121lbs).
The race is the third leg of the Triple Crown with the Kentucky Derby the first leg and the Preakness Stakes being the second leg, the race is known as The Test of the Champions and also The Run for the Carnations, in recent years both American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) won this race to complete the Triple Crown, the most famous Triple Crown winner would be Secretariat in 1973.
Belmont Stakes Information:
We also have a dedicated Belmont Park tips page that will cover this race as well as all of the other races on the day of the race. See which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Belmont Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2006 when the race had an over-round of 119%. The race in 2021 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 121%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Belmont Stakes, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £120 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Belmont Stakes Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Belmont Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Belmont Stakes races over the last 20 renewals:
- Tiz The Law (1:46.53) in 2020
- Sovereignty (2:00.69) in 2025
- Dornoch (2:01.64) in 2024
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Belmont Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 16 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -1.55. Ahead of the 2026 Belmont Stakes, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2010 renewal when Drosselmeyer from William Mott under the guidance of Mike E Smith, won in a time of 2:31.57, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Tiz The Law, trained by Barclay Tagg and ridden by Manuel Franco set the quickest time of 1:46.53 in the 2020 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Belmont Stakes Past Winners
Here are the Belmont Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Belmont Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: In 2020, the race distance was reduced to one and 1⁄8 miles (1m1f) due to the race being rescheduled as the opening race of the Triple Crown. Due to a renovation project at Belmont Park, the 2024 & 2025 renewals were hosted at Saratoga.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:00.69 | Sovereignty (USA) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 8) 5/2 | Junior Alvarado William Mott (USA) |
| 2024 2:01.64 | Dornoch (USA) 3yo 9-0 (6 of 10) 177/10 | Luis Saez Danny Gargan (USA) |
| 2023 2:29.23 | Arcangelo (USA) 3yo 9-0 (3 of 9) 79/10 | Javier Castellano Jena M Antonucci (USA) |
| 2022 2:28.28 | Mo Donegal (USA) 3yo 9-0 (6 of 8) 13/5F | Irad Ortiz Jr Todd Pletcher (USA) |
| 2021 2:27.11 | Essential Quality (USA) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 8) 13/10F | Luis Saez Brad H Cox (USA) |
| 2020 1:46.53 | Tiz The Law (USA) 3yo 9-0 (8 of 10) 4/5F | Manuel Franco Barclay Tagg (USA) |
| 2019 2:28.30 | Sir Winston (USA) 3yo 9-0 (7 of 10) 102/10 | Joel Rosario Mark Casse (CAN) |
| 2018 2:28.18 | Justify (USA) 3yo 9-0 (1 of 10) 4/5F | Mike E Smith Bob Baffert (USA) |
| 2017 2:30.02 | Tapwrit (USA) 3yo 9-0 (2 of 11) 53/10 | Jose L Ortiz Todd Pletcher (USA) |
| 2016 2:28.51 | Creator (USA) 3yo 9-0 (13 of 13) 164/10 | Irad Ortiz Jr Steven Asmussen (USA) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Belmont Stakes have been based:
- USA: 19 winners with an additional 39 placings from 192 runners
- CAN: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
- JPN: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- SAF: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Belmont Stakes Replay
Belmont Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Belmont Stakes over the last 20 renewals is Todd Pletcher, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Rags To Riches (2007), Palace Malice (2013), Tapwrit (2017) and Mo Donegal (2022). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Belmont Stakes are Bob Baffert (2 wins) and William Mott (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Belmont Stakes; Dale Romans has sent a total of 10 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Belmont Stakes trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Pletcher | 38-4-17 | -8.00 | +1.73 |
| Bob Baffert | 8-2-3 | -4.45 | -4.14 |
| William Mott | 7-2-4 | +10.50 | +6.01 |
| Nicholas Zito | 9-1-3 | +31.00 | +20.32 |
| Steven Asmussen | 9-1-2 | +8.40 | +2.48 |
| Kiaran McLaughlin | 5-1-2 | +2.20 | +0.63 |
| Mark Casse | 4-1-1 | +7.20 | +3.12 |
| Brad H Cox | 4-1-1 | -1.70 | -2.22 |
| Kelly J Breen | 2-1-1 | +23.80 | +13.88 |
| Danny Gargan | 2-1-1 | +16.70 | +9.62 |
Belmont Stakes Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Belmont Stakes over the last 20 renewals is Mike E Smith, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Drosselmeyer (2010), Palace Malice (2013) and Justify (2018). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Belmont Stakes are John R Velazquez (2 wins), Joel Rosario (2 wins), Irad Ortiz Jr (2 wins) and Luis Saez (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Belmont Stakes jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike E Smith | 12-3-4 | +18.60 | +8.49 |
| John R Velazquez | 19-2-8 | -9.95 | -3.48 |
| Joel Rosario | 12-2-6 | +9.40 | +6.78 |
| Irad Ortiz Jr | 11-2-6 | +10.00 | +6.43 |
| Luis Saez | 8-2-3 | +13.00 | +6.43 |
| Javier Castellano | 13-1-4 | -4.10 | -0.50 |
| Jose L Ortiz | 9-1-4 | -2.70 | -0.12 |
| Kent J Desormeaux | 5-1-2 | +7.90 | +5.36 |
| Manuel Franco | 5-1-2 | -3.20 | -1.84 |
| Alan Garcia | 4-1-1 | +36.00 | +20.40 |
2026 Belmont Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 8, 2, 9, 3, 8, 6, 7, 3, 4, 1, 11, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Oost in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Furthest ran either 1m1f or 1m2f
- 20 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 26/1 (Career Place)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Not BB/GR in colour
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 87+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not on SFT/GD/GF/FM/STD (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Won within last 3 starts
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Break of 21 - 97 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 2 - 7 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved an RPR of 100+ (Season)
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Top 2 finish within last 3 runs
- 19 / 20 (89%) - Ran within the past 36 days
- 18 / 20 (61%) - Achieved an RPR of 110+ (Career)
- 18 / 20 (69%) - No bigger than 18/1
- 17 / 20 (69%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 17 / 20 (78%) - Drawn in higher than barrier 8
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Belmont Park racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Belmont Stakes. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Belmont Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Belmont Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +83.95, is when runners had 1 career place at the track.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners were bay black in colour, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-33.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 2 (7,6) [8 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 6 (10,9) [10 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 3 (6,2) [9 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 6 (3,2) [8 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 2 (4,3) [8 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Belmont Stakes is Churchill Downs; there have been a total of 11 winners of this race who ran at Churchill Downs last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Pimlico and Belmont Park; there have been a total of 4 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 200 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 3 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Belmont Stakes; that stallion, Tapit, has produced 4 winners (2021,2017,2016,2014).
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Belmont Stakes; that stallion is Mineshaft, who has failed to produce a winner from 5 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Da Tara in 2008, winning for Nicholas Zito at odds of 39/1 under the guidance of Alan Garcia. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Belmont Stakes, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Route to the Belmont Stakes
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Belmont Stakes, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Sovereignty Churchill Downs - 1st of 19 (8/1) | Kentucky Derby |
| 2024 - Dornoch Churchill Downs - 10th of 20 (239/10) | Kentucky Derby |
| 2023 - Arcangelo Belmont Park - 1st of 8 (11/4) | Peter Pan Stakes |
| 2022 - Mo Donegal Churchill Downs - 5th of 20 (111/10) | Kentucky Derby |
| 2021 - Essential Quality Churchill Downs - 3rd of 19 (39/10) | Kentucky Derby |
| 2020 - Tiz The Law Gulfstream Park - 1st of 9 (7/5) | Curlin Florida Derby |
| 2019 - Sir Winston Belmont Park - 2nd of 5 (14/1) | Peter Pan Stakes |
| 2018 - Justify Pimlico - 1st of 8 (2/5) | Preakness Stakes |
| 2017 - Tapwrit Churchill Downs - 6th of 20 (28/1) | Kentucky Derby |
| 2016 - Creator Churchill Downs - 13th of 20 (87/5) | Kentucky Derby |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Belmont Stakes Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
