Belmont Stakes Picks 2020: Examining Latest Vegas Predictions and Odds

Saturday marks the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes. However, it will be the first time that it takes place before its fellow Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.

Like the rest of the sports world, horse racing has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, both of which typically take place in May, were postponed to Sept. 5 and Oct. 3, respectively.

That means the jockeys and trainers looking to lead their horses to the Triple Crown will need to start off with a win at Belmont, which is taking place slightly later than usual. But that's not the only change regarding Saturday's race.

The Belmont Stakes had been a 1 ½-mile race since 1926, but this year's race has been shortened to 1 ⅛ miles because the horses have not been through their regular race schedules.

Belmont Stakes Post Lineup and Odds

1. Tap It to Win: 6-1

2. Sole Volante: 9-2

3. Max Player: 15-1

4. Modernist: 15-1

5. Farmington Road: 15-1

6. Fore Left: 30-1

7. Jungle Runner: 50-1

8. Tiz the Law: 6-5

9. Dr Post: 5-1

10. Pneumatic: 8-1

Odds according to Vegas Insider.

According to NBC Sports, only three horses born in New York have won the Belmont Stakes, which takes place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. What's more, the last New York-born horse to claim victory in the race was Forester in 1882.

That streak could come to an end this year, as the favorite to win is Tiz the Law, who was born in Hudson, New York, in March 2017. Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law will be starting from the No. 8 post. And while Tagg was hoping his horse would start from one of the Nos. 5-7 posts, he acknowledged that the draw could have been worse.

"He likes this track, so I'm glad to be back on it," Tagg said, according to Beth Harris of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports).

Tiz the Law has competed in five career races and won four of them, including both of his 2020 starts—the Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 1 and the Florida Derby on March 28. And like the Florida Derby, Saturday's race will be held without spectators in the stands.

Dr Post and Farmington Road are trained by Todd Pletcher, who has trained three previous Belmont winners—Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013 and Tapwrit in 2017. So if a horse upsets Tiz the Law and takes the victory, there's a solid chance that one of these two horses could be the one to do it. At 5-1, Dr Post has the third-best odds to win behind Tiz the Law (6-5) and Sole Volante (9-2).

Like Tiz the Law, Dr Post has won his only two races in 2020, both of which came at Gulfstream Park. And while the colt has only competed in three career races, Pletcher believes he's benefited from having extra time to train before the start of the Triple Crown schedule.

"He's progressed greatly since the beginning of the year," Pletcher said, according to Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form. "And while he lacks a little bit of experience in terms of number of races run, he got a lot of education in the Unbridled. He was kind of boxed in through a good portion of the race and ate a lot of dirt. We were happy that not only was he able to win, but kind of overcome some adversity and get some education."

Most years, fans have seen several of the horses in the Belmont Stakes field take part in the Kentucky Derby and/or the Preakness Stakes beforehand. Because that's not the case this year, it's harder to predict a winner, especially because of the unorthodox schedule and changes to the race.

However, the prediction here is that Dr Post edges Tiz the Law to claim the victory and give Pletcher his fourth win at the Belmont Stakes.

Prediction: Dr Post wins.