Belmont Stakes Picks 2023: Predictions and Odds for All Horses in the Lineup
The 155th running of the Belmont Stakes is just a few days away with a nine-horse field descending upon Elmont, New York, to compete for a $1.5 million purse.
The allure of a Triple Crown is gone, but there's still plenty of intrigue at this year's Test of the The Champion. The 1.5-mile race has a way of generating some surprising results, and a talented field with tight odds only makes this year's race even tougher to predict.
Todd Pletcher has had a lot of success in the race, and he has the top two choices from oddsmakers in Forte and Tapit Trice.
His horses will be competing against a few other contenders with solid cases to win. Preakness winner National Treasure will look to win his second Triple Crown race in as many tries and Angel of Empire returns after a strong run in the Kentucky Derby.
Here's a look at the lineup with predictions for the complete order of finish.
Post Positions and Odds
1 of 2
1. Tapit Shoes 20-1
2. Tapit Trice 3-1
3. Arcangelo 8-1
4. National Treasure 5-1
5. Il Miracolo 30-1
6. Forte 5-2
7. Hit Show 10-1
8. Angel of Empire 7-2
9. Red Route One 15-1
Odds via BelmontStakes.com
Predicted Results and Analysis
2 of 2
1. Forte
2. Arcangelo
3. Tapit Trice
4. Angel of Empire
5. National Treasure
6. Hit Show
7. Tapit Shoes
8. Red Route One
9. Il Miracolo
This is a tough race to call. You have the two-year-old champion Forte, a Preakness winner in National Treasure and six graded stakes winners in a field of nine. Any one of the top four choices by odds could win and it wouldn't be shocking.
That leaves a horse such as Il Miraloco as a true long shot. There are just too many talented horses in the field to consider him a threat to cash in at the long odds.
Red Route One is one of the few horses carrying double-digit odds, but he proved at The Preakness that he really isn't in the same class as the contenders here. He finished fourth at Pimlico, and this should be a much tougher race.
Tapit Shoes has the bloodlines to do well. Tapit has sired four Belmont winners, including 2021 winner Essential Quality. However, he hasn't even been entered into a graded stakes race, much less won one.
Hit Show hasn't shown the tactical speed you'd like to see in an American Classic winner. He's never hit triple digits with his Equibase Speed Score.
We start getting into real contenders with National Treasure. The Bob Baffert-trained colt looked solid in his Preakness win, holding off Blazing Sevens down the final stretch to take home the Black-Eyed Susans.
But he had the advantage of a slow-paced race, and the Preakness field wasn't as deep as this one. He's also battling the short turnaround between the two races.
Angel of Empire finished third in the Kentucky Derby and should be considered a real contender. He's won two graded stakes races including the Grade I Arkansas Derby. His sire, Classic Empire, finished second at the Preakness and fourth in the Kentucky Derby and won the Arkansas Derby; he could do well with the distance.
Tapit Trice has the benefit of being a son of Tapit, but he's also trained by Todd Pletcher, who has excelled at the Belmont. He has four winners since 2007. There's a reason he's the second choice by betting odds.
The boldest pick here is that Arcangelo will finish second. The ridgling could be a late bloomer and is one of the more lightly raced entrants in New York. But he's won two of his three races as a three-year-old and is coming off a win in the Peter Pan Stakes.
He could do well with the added distance. His sire, Arrogate, was a Breeders Cup Classic and Travers Stakes winner, and his mare comes from Tapit's bloodline.
Finally, Forte is the pick to win the grand prize. He was the favorite at the Kentucky Derby before scratching on race day due to injury. There was a reason he was considered the favorite.
He also has Pletcher in his corner. The trainer has shown why he and his talented horse shouldn't be doubted at the Belmont.
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