The 158th Belmont Stakes

The great trainer Todd Pletcher goes for his fifth Belmont Stakes victory with Arkansas Derby winner and second place Derby finisher Renegade. (Photo courtesy of Thoroughbred Daily News).

The third crown jewel of American Classic Horse Racing transpires today at 6:04 P.M. CT/ 7:04 Eastern Post time as the 158th Belmont Stakes unfolds at Saratoga Springs, New York, in upstate New York. Saratoga Springs is hosting its second straight Belmont as Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on Long Island, is going through a massive renovation and will re-open for the 2027 Belmont. Belmont Park is a 1 1/2 mile track and called “the Test of the Champion.” Saratoga Springs is a 1 1/4 mile track, so it favors more speed. The forecast is for rain today, not guaranteed, but good chances of rain and maybe a t storm, over 50% in the afternoon leading up to the race.

Trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. have the favorite in 2/1 Renegade, which finished second at the Kentucky Derby and won the Arkansas Derby. It’s a nine horse field with good talent. Here are Post positions, horses, odds, trainers and jockeys for the 158th edition of the Belmont.

FOX will Televise with coverage starting around 2 P.M. CT/3 ET

1. Vitruvian Man, 30/1, Doug O’Neill, Antonio Fresu

2. Powershift, 12/1, Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez

3. Chief Wallabee, 3/1, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado

4.Renegade, 2/1, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr.

5. Ottinho, 20/1, Chad Brown, Dylan Davis

6. Growth Equity, 12/1, Chad Brown, Manny Franco

7. Commandment, 6/1, Brad Cox, John Velazquez

8. Emerging Market, 6/1, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat

9. Golden Tempo, 9/2, Cherie DeVaux, Jose Ortiz

Winner/ Predictions

There is excellent talent in this field including Derby winner Golden Tempo, trainer Cherie DeVaux’s horse. The great Todd Pletcher, winning trainer in the Belmont in 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022, has the favorite, Renegade, at 2/1. A lot of people are high on Chief Wallabee at 3/1. Trainer Bill Mott has won the Belmont in 2010 and in 2025 with Sovereignty. Mott also won the Derby in 2019 and 2025 also with Sovereignty. Others like Florida Derby winner Commandment with the terrific tandem of trainer Brad Cox and jockey John Velazquez. Velazquez is a three time winner at the Derby (2011, ’17, 2020), a two time Belmont winner (2007, 2012) and a Preakness winner in 2023.

But I’m going to take a different thoroughbred. I like trainer Chad Brown, who has three horses entered in the Belmont, the great jockey Flavien Prat, who finished second to Napoleon Solo in the Preakness aboard Iron Honor, and the horse that won the Louisiana Derby. I like this pony to capture the third leg of the Triple Crown. Brown has won two Preaknesses, 2017 and 2022. And Prat won the Derby in 2019 and the Preakness in 2021. This could be a wetter track with rain predicted, which favors horses like this one and Golden Tempo, known as good wet track racers. Give me, 6/1:

Emerging Market

Win: Emerging Market

Place: Chief Wallabee

Show: Commandment

The 152nd Running of the Kentucky Derby, Preview/Prediction

Brad H. Cox has two of the favorites running at Churchill Downs, Commandment and Further Ado. (Photo courtesy of Twinspires).

Today at 5:57 Central/6:57 East is post time for the 152nd running of the American Classic/Epic, Kentucky Derby. NBC and Peacock will broadcast.

It’s a wide open field. There have been some scratches, as usual, one being a favorite in the race, The Puma. Bama Golf was high on this thoroughbred. Bama’ll adjust. Here’s a look at the field including the horses, its odds, the trainers and the jockeys in that order. It’s an all star cast of trainers and jockeys with the best in the business competing. Below that, I’ll pick the winner of the Derby along with my trifecta pick.

1. Renegade, 5/1, Todd Pletcher (going for his third Derby), Irad Ortiz Jr.

2. Albus, 50/1, Riley Mott, Manny Franco.

3. Intrepido, 55/1, Jeff Mullins, Hector Berrios

4. Litmus Test, 34/1, Bob Baffert (five time Derby winner), Martin Garcia

5. Right to Party, scratched

6. Commandment, 7/1, Brad H. Cox, Luis Saez

7.Danon Bourbon, 14/1, Manabu Ikezoe, Atsuya Nishimura, Japanese horse

8. So Happy, 6/1, Mark Glatt, Mike Smith

9. The Puma, scratched

10. Wonder Dean, 20/1, Yoshinari Yamamoto, Daisuke Takayanagi, Japanese horse

11. Incredibolt, 27/1, Riley Mott, Jaime Torres

12. Chief Wallabee, 9/1, William Mott, Junior Alvarado

13. Silent Tactic, scratched

Horses moved up in posts due to Silent Tactic withdrawal. Significant for one of the favorites.

13. Potente, 23/1, Bob Baffert, Juan Hernandez

14. Emerging Market, 11/1, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat

15. Pavlovian, 52/1, Doug O’Neill, Edwin Maldonado

16. Six Speed, 40/1, Bhupat Seemar, Brian Hernandez Jr.

17. Further Ado, 7/1, Brad H. Cox, John Valazquez, the 17 post has never won a Derby, 0 for 46

18. Golden Tempo, 36/1, Cherie DeVaux, Jose Ortiz

19. Fulleffort, scratched

20. Great White, 29/1, John Ennis, Alex Achard

21. Ocelli, 50/1, D. Whitworth Beckman, Tyler Gaffalione

22. Robusta, 50/1, Doug O’Neill, Christian Torres

Winner/ Predictions

Commandment is a really good horse and in a solid post position at 6. He won the Florida Derby, making Brombey a happy man. That’s a pretty good indicator of Derby success as several Florida Derby winners have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby. Further Ado, another Brad H. Cox horse, is a terrific runner, but has the dreaded post 17 where a horse has never won a Derby. There’s always a first. Renegade is the favorite, but has a tough post position at No.1. The inside rail is tough to emerge victorious from.Emerging Market is a horse to look out

But I’m going to take 53 year old trainer Mark Glatt, an Auburn, Washington native, whose wife passed away in February due to heart failure. They had been married 25 years. And the great 60 year old Mike Smith is on this pony’s ride. Smith won the Derby in 2005, and in 2018. In ’18, he won it on Justify and went on to win the Triple Crown on Justify. He has also won two Preaknesses (1993, 2018) and three Belmonts (2010, 2013, 2018). Give me this team and their horse, the Santa Anita Derby winner.

So Happy

My trifecta

Win: So Happy

Place: Emerging Market

Show: Commandment