Belmont Stakes Entries 2019: Latest Purse Payout, Vegas Betting Odds, Lineup
June 7, 2019
Only one horse has the opportunity to win multiple Triple Crown races in 2019.
War of Will comes into the 2019 Belmont Stakes with the chance to earn back-to-back wins following his triumph at the Preakness.
Nine other horses will try to steal the victory away from him, including Tacitus, who has the second-best odds ahead of Saturday's race at Elmont Park.
Of the 10 entrants, three are making their Triple Crown debuts, while four others skipped the Preakness after racing in the Kentucky Derby.
War of Will, who has competed in all three Triple Crown races, Bourbon War and Everfast are the only Preakness competitors in the lineup for the Belmont.
Belmont Stakes Purse
The overall purse for the Belmont Stakes is $1.5 million.
The winner of the race will receive $800,000 to be divided between the owner, trainer and jockey, per Christina Moore of America's Best Racing.
In 2018, the second-placed horse took home $280,000 and third place received $150,000, per Tim Wood of Forbes.
Field Lineup and Betting Odds
Even though a wager on War of Will would yield a low payout compared to other horses in the field, money has to be thrown in his direction.
He was the strongest horse at the Preakness, and because there is no Triple Crown quest this year, the Belmont field is weaker than it could have been if all the challengers were looking to end a Triple Crown bid.
War of Will has four victories in his career, with all of them coming in his last six races, and an argument could be made that he should have finished higher than seventh at Churchill Downs because he was slowed down by Maximum Security.
All signs point to a strong race out of the colt, who will have to work his way to the front of the pack from the second-most outside post.
Tacitus came into the Kentucky Derby with a pair of wins at the Wood Memorial and Tampa Bay Derby, but he could not pull off the win and landed third.
With three consecutive finishes in the top three, Tacitus has to be taken seriously as a betting favorite behind War of Will.
At 9-5, he would provide a decent payout, one that matches what War of Will would produce if he wins.
War of Will and Tacitus appear to be the safe bets because of their finishes in top races, but not everyone is going to feel content by betting just the favorites.
When you evaluate the chances of the other eight horses, the lookout is bleak given some of the performances in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, as well as the lack of experience in Triple Crown races.
Master Fencer ended up sixth at Churchill Downs, but at 8-1, he will not be considered a long shot that could land you a massive payout.
Tax could be the long shot that delivers either a win, or a spot in trifecta or superfecta bets, as he took second to Tacitus at the Wood Memorial before his 14th-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.
At 15-1, Tax will not receive a ton of attention and could be worth a sprinkle of money before post time.
Everfast is another intriguing option at 12-1, but more money might be thrown in his direction because of his second-place finish at the Preakness.
If you are willing to put a wager down on the ultimate long shot, Joevia is the horse to bet on at 30-1.
He comes into the Belmont in good form after a win on May 12, and he has an opportunity to take advantage of the inside line coming out of post No. 1.
While it is more of a risk to wager on long shots, the reality is War of Will and Tacitus are the two best horses in the field and they demand your money, even if the odds are short.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Horse Racing Nation.