2021 Belmont Stakes: Early Odds and Predictions Following Preakness
May 16, 2021
In front of a crowd of 10,000, Rombauer emerged victorious in the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Midnight Bourbon came in second, while the controversial Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, came in third.
Not to take anything away from Rombauer's victory, but naturally, horse racing fans and bettors alike have already begun thinking about what Saturday's results mean for the final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York.
2021 Belmont Stakes Early Odds
Essential Quality 3-1
Rombauer 4-1
Hot Rod Charlie 5-1
Midnight Bourbon 7-1
Caddo River 8-1
Rock Your World 10-1
Concert Tour 12-1
Keepmeinmind 16-1
Known Agenda 20-1
Risk Taking 25-1
Odds via US Racing.
Trainer Michael W. McCarthy held Rombauer out of the Kentucky Derby, and while that decision may have contributed to the horse's surprise win Saturday, it officially means there is no possible Triple Crown winner this season.
In fact, many of the Derby horses were held out of the Preakness Stakes to focus on the more lucrative Belmont Stakes. Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie, Essential Quality and O Besos, who finished two through five respectively in the Derby, would presumably be favorites heading into the Belmont Stakes.
The Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit was allowed to run in the Preakness Stakes despite testing positive for an excessive amount of the substance betamethasone after winning the Derby. Kentucky officials are awaiting the results of a second sample.
Those results could come back in the time between now and the running of the Belmont Stakes, which not only could affect Medina Spirit's ability to run the final jewel of the Triple Crown but also would vacate his Derby victory.
Expect Mandaloun, who could still earn a Derby victory if Medina Spirit's test results do not come back cleared, to be the front-runner in the Belmont Stakes.
The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes will be held on its usual timeline, a Saturday in June three weeks after the Preakness Stakes—this year, that's June 5.
The Belmont Stakes will have the second-highest purse of the three Triple Crown races this season, at $1.5 million. The Kentucky Derby had the highest, at $3 million. The Preakness Stakes had the lowest, at $1 million.