Belmont Stakes Picks 2022: Vegas Odds and Predictions After Post Draw

The posts have been drawn and the field is now set for the 2022 Belmont Stakes. There might not be a Triple Crown winner this year, but eight strong horses will be hitting the track in Elmont, New York, on Saturday.

Among the top contenders will be Rich Strike, who won the Kentucky Derby last month as an 80-1 long shot. The colt didn't run the Preakness Stakes, so the Belmont will mark his first action since his improbable victory at Churchill Downs.

The Preakness was won by Early Voting, who didn't take part in the Kentucky Derby and won't be at the Belmont. So Rich Strike is the only horse that has a chance to win two of this year's Triple Crown events.

Here's everything else you need to know heading into the 2022 Belmont Stakes.

Belmont Stakes Lineup, Odds

1. We The People (2-1)

2. Skippylongstocking (20-1)

3. Nest (8-1)

4. Rich Strike (7-2)

5. Creative Minister (6-1)

6. Mo Donegal (5-2)

7. Golden Glider (20-1)

8. Barber Road (10-1)

Odds via BelmontStakes.com

Preview, Predictions

Of the eight horses in the Belmont field, Rich Strike owns the most impressive win, following the late surge he used to best a host of strong competitors in the Derby. However, that isn't enough to make him the early favorite for Saturday.

Instead, We The People currently has the shortest odds for this year's Belmont. It will be the colt's debut during Triple Crown season after not competing in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness.

The colt has won three of his first four career races, with one of those victories coming in the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park last month. However, his one non-win was a seventh-place finish at the Arkansas Derby in April.

But considering We The People has had recent success at Belmont Park, it makes sense that he has strong odds to win at the weekend.

It's not always the morning-line favorite who wins a race, though, as Rich Strike proved in the Kentucky Derby. Mo Donegal (5-2) and Rich Strike (7-2) also have short odds for the Belmont and are poised for strong showings.

Mo Donegal has finished in the money in each of his first five career races, winning three of those events. He finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, but he didn't have a great beginning to the race, having started from the No. 1 post.

At the Belmont, the three-year-old will have a better starting spot, as he drew the No. 6 post. And that could help him have a better finish, too.

Before the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike had finished third or worse in six of his first seven career races. But he showed with his win at Churchill Downs that he's capable of working his way through the field with ease.

While We The People, Mo Donegal and Rich Strike are the three top contenders, any of the other five horses could be in the running for the win, too. It should be a competitive race that could go several different ways.

So, what's going to happen once the runners and riders take their posts at Belmont Park on Saturday evening?

The prediction here is that Mo Donegal takes the lead early in the race and holds on for the biggest win of his career thus far. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt is capable of much better than he showed at the Kentucky Derby, and a better start will allow him to show that on Saturday from a stronger post position.

"It gives him some flexibility to stay on the outside and come running late," owner Ray Bryan said, per Mike MacAdam of The Daily Gazette. “In the Derby, he was never able to get to the outside and do that, so [jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] was compromised a couple times. I don’t think that’s going to be the case with the smaller field and him being in the 6 post. If anything, that should give him some comfort."

And that comfort will lead to a big win. Mo Donegal will outrun We The People during the final stretch, holding on for the victory to cap off the Triple Crown season.

Prediction: Mo Donegal wins the Belmont Stakes.