Belmont Stakes 2023: Post Time, TV Schedule, Post Positions Info
The 2023 Belmont Stakes will cap off an eventful Triple Crown series with "The Test of the Champion" potentially coronating a third winner in as many races.
The first two legs of the Triple Crown encapsulated the two most exciting things about the sport: Stunning victories and close finishes.
Mage stormed to a convincing win in Kentucky Derby despite 15-1 odds on the morning line. The Preakness went down to the wire, with National Treasure edging out Blazing Sevens by a head.
The Belmont is the most grueling of all three races. At 1½ miles, it earns its moniker as the Test of the Champion.
While there's no Triple Crown at stake, National Treasure will look to go two-for-two at American Classics this year. The Bob Baffert-trained colt didn't run at Churchill Downs and could at least wear two jewels of the crown with a win.
Here's a look at the post time, TV schedule and post draw info as we kick off race week.
Post Time, TV Schedule and Post Position Draw
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Date: Saturday, 10 June
Post Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: Fox, 4-7:30 p.m. ET
Post Draw: Tuesday, 6 June at 11 a.m. ET on the NYRA YouTube Channel
Probable Contenders and Odds
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The official field has yet to be determined, but these are the 10 horses listed on the Belmont website with early odds from FanDuel Racing:
Forte 3-1
Angel of Empire 4-1
National Treasure 6-1
Tapit Trice 7-2
Red Route One 20-1
Hit Show 15-1
Raise Cain 30-1
Arcangelo 10-1
Il Miracolo N/A
Tapit Shoes N/A
Preview
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There are two storylines that are likely to dominate coverage as we head toward Saturday's race. One is National Treasure's quest for a second leg of the Triple Crown.
While not as impressive as winning all three, making the short turnaround to capture the Preakness and Belmont Stakes is also rare. In addition to the 13 thoroughbreds to win the Triple Crown, only 18 have won the Preakness and Belmont without winning the Derby.
Afleet Alex in 2005 was the last instance of it happening.
The biggest question for any contender in the Belmont is the distance. The 12-furlong race is longer than any the contenders have taken on before, so it's uncertain how they'll all handle the extra distance.
Trainer Bob Baffert is hopeful National Treasure will hold up just fine, though.
"You never know until they do it," he said. "He handled the Preakness distance and it wasn't a problem for him. We're all in the same boat. None of them probably want to go that far, but if they don't go too fast, they can do it."
National Treasure jumped out to the lead in the Preakness and never gave it up. That strategy is going to be hard to replicate for the Belmont.
The other major storyline is the Triple Crown debut of Forte. The Todd Pletcher-trained horse was the morning line favorite for the Kentucky Derby but was a race-day scratch due to a bruised front right hoof.
Unfortunately, that injury also held him out of the Preakness, leaving him and his connections to hold out for the Belmont.
Pletcher believes his horse is now in good condition. After a workout Pletcher noted that he "came back and cooled out quickly. It was exactly what we were hoping he would go out there and do and I think based off the strength of his breezes, he's coming into it as well as we hope."
While a lot of attention will be placed on Forte's return and National Treasure's run, the Belmont is far from a two-horse race.
Angel of Empire and Tapit Trice both figure to be single-digit odds contenders.
Angel of Empire ran fifth at the Kentucky Derby, while Tapit Trice finished seventh. Both stayed out of the Preakness with an eye on competing in Elmont, New York.
That creates a strong top half of the race field with long shots always having a chance in the race.
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