2026 Belmont Stakes Best Picks & Predictions To Win
The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes takes place at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, as Belmont Park continues to undergo renovations. The track is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 2026, and the 2027 Breeders’ Cup will be held at Belmont Park. The official post time is 7:04 p.m. ET, which is the 13th race on a 14-run slate. The nine-horse, 1-and-1/4-mile race can be viewed on FOX, FS1 and FS2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Kentucky Derby champion, Golden Tempo, is in the field after skipping the Preakness Stakes in May. However, Preakness winner Napoleon Solo will not be in the field for this final race of the 2026 Triple Crown.
The overwhelming favorite is the Todd Pletcher-trained Renegade, with Chief Wallabee, Commandment and Golden Tempo (6-1) in a three-way tie, with Emerging Market (7-1) not far behind.
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2026 Belmont Stakes Best Picks & Predictions to Win
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Renegade (1-1)
The overwhelming favorite, Renegade, won’t score you a ton of money in return, but it might very well be the best bet. Irad Ortiz Jr. is aboard the 3-year-old Colt trained by Todd A. Pletcher. Ortiz was on the back of Creator for a Belmont Stakes win in 2016, while Pletcher has led Mo Donegal (2022), Tapwrit (2017), Palace Malice (2013) and Rags to Riches (2007) to the Winner’s Circle at Belmont. However, in the past two Belmont races at Saratoga, neither the jockey nor the trainer have won.
Still, Renegade has finished first or second in each of his past five races since an October run in 2025 at Ozone Park, N.Y. Renegade was second to Golden Tempo at the Kentucky Derby, and the shorter track has everyone flocking to the betting window to back Renegade. At Oaklawn Park, Renegade rolled to a win at the Arkansas Derby (Gr 1), with an Equibase score of 107. Prior to that, Renegade won the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay. This is the safest pick, but don’t expect to retire on the winnings.
Pick: Renegade to win (+100)
Chief Wallabee (6-1)
Chief Wallabee heads to Saratoga Springs with Junior Alvarado aboard. Alvarado was the jockey who took Sovereignty to the Winner’s Circle in 2025 for trainer William I. Mott under good track conditions. It was Alvarado’s first Belmont Stakes victory, and it’s important to note that it took place at Saratoga, where this race will be run for the third and final time. It was Mott’s first victory at the Belmont since Drosselmeyer’s win in 2010 for WinStar Farms LLC.
Chief Wallabee placed fourth at the Kentucky Derby, while finishing third at the Curlin Florida Derby (Gr 1) at Gulfstream Park in late March. Chief Wallabee’s last victory came at a Maiden Special Weight race Jan. 10, 2026 at Gulfstream with an Equibase score of 91. We’re banking on Alvarado to become the first jockey to win back-to-back Belmont Stakes since the legendary Laffit Pincay Jr. won three straight Belmont Stakes aboard Conquistador Cielo, Caveat, and Swale from 1982 through 1984.
Pick: Chief Wallabee to win (+600)
Powershift (14-1)
Powershift will go off from Post No. 2 with Luis Saez aboard the Todd A. Pletcher-trained horse. In fact, this is the second horse in the field sired by Constitution, with Chief Wallabee as a relation.
The dark bay or brown 3-year-old colt won a Special Maiden Weight race May 2 at Churchill Downs after powering a disappointing sixth-place finish at the ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby (Gr 3) finish in early March. The shortened track works to the benefit of the relative newby.
Pick: Powershift to win (+1400)
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