Belmont Stakes 2018: Updated Predictions, Betting Lines and Post Time

The battle to stop Justify's rampage to Triple Crown glory resumes on Saturday, when victory in the 2018 Belmont Stakes is all that stands between him and one of the rarest feats in horse racing.

Nine other contenders make up the field at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, but victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes have left the impression Justify will simply be too powerful to restrain.

OddsShark showed how far ahead of his competition Justify sits as the runaway favourite:

The exclusivity of the Triple Crown—only 12 horses have managed the achievement—makes it all the more impressive that trainer Bob Baffert can win it for the second time in three years. His other triumph came with American Pharoah in 2015, and Justify's progress is looking just as promising as his did back then.

BloodHorse's Alicia Wincze Hughes provided a look at the field positions following Tuesday's post draw:

Read on for a preview of Saturday's race as Justify sits on the cusp of writing his place in the sport's history books.

Date: Saturday, June 9  

Post Time: 6:46 p.m. ET/11:46 p.m. BST

TV Info: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (app)

Justify Just Can't Be Defied

No matter which way one sizes it up, there doesn't appear to be a horse in the running that can stop Justify in New York come Saturday—such is the considerable head of steam he's built up in recent months.

The unbeaten entry arrived in Elmont on Wednesday and got to work in his final preparations ahead of his big day, resuming training at an electric pace following recent weeks of practice at his home of Churchill Downs:

Mike Smith will jockey the three-year-old wonder once more at Belmont, and he'll have been as pleased as most when Justify drew the rail on Tuesday, likely simplifying his route to the Triple Crown.

That being said, Justify will still need to break a Belmont Park record if he's to clinch victory in the third portion of the American series, per Thoroughbred Insider:

Justify started at the seventh post in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness but had the ignition to get out ahead of his peers on both occasions, even if certain others did close the deficit late on in each race.

That job looks all the easier now that he knows he'll start with the inside track, with the horse having proved he's got gas to burn in the middle furlongs and a pace that few in the field—if any—can compete with.

Gronkowski, named after New England Patriots tight end Rob, is the outsider pick posing the most potential value, potentially as an each way bet, as reporter Nora Princiotti highlighted his plummeting price:

Justify may not be the value pick, but that's tended to be the case among winners in the Triple Crown races over recent years. 2018 should be no different.

The 150th edition of the Belmont Stakes would require a big upset in order to Justify to leave New York without a Triple Crown to his name, and it's doubtful anyone else in the field has the pace to prevent him.

Prediction: Justify to win and complete the Triple Crown