The third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown is kind of anticlimactic. Not only will we not have a winner of all three races, but no horse will have run in all three with the release of the 2022 Belmont Stakes field. I guess that’s the downside of being last on the Triple Crown schedule. However, the 154th running will not lack excitement. You might expect the winner of a Triple Crown race to be the favorite in another, but when you go off at 80/1 and win the Kentucky Derby there are some detractors.
After an incredible close to win the Run for the Roses, Rich Strike is listed as the third favorite in the limited eight-horse field behind Mo Donegal and We The People. I guess the entire field should be well-rested for the 1½ mile jaunt around Belmont Park in what is referred to as the Test of Champions.
The 2022 Belmont Stakes takes place on Saturday, June 11 from Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. Post time is 6:44 p.m. ET. The race will air live on NBC with betting options available at BookMaker.eu.
2022 Belmont Stakes Odds
Mo Donegal +227
We The People +277
Rich Strike +531
Creative Minister +696
Nest +819
Barber Road +1245
Skippylongstocking +1455
Golden Glider +2676
Belmont Odds Analysis
For the first time in over half a century the winner of the first two Triple Crown races didn’t compete in the follow up. Thus there will be no Triple Crown bid this year. Rich Strike can accomplish the next best thing which would be going unbeaten in two of the races, call it the double crown if you will. We will find out a lot about Rich Strike on Saturday after his stunning upset at the Kentucky Derby. It was just his second career victory after being a late entry into the field. More interesting is that trainer Eric Reed had this race as a goal even before Rich Strike won the Run for the Roses.
Many experts claimed the Derby win was the perfect storm for Rich Strike with him aided by a perfect pace. Either way an 80/1 longshot winning the 20-horse field was quite an accomplishment. Skipping the Preakness will help his preparation and Rich Strike needs to stay closer to the pace than he did in the Derby, but that close at Churchill Downs was special. A definite contender in the limited field, we’ll see if Rich Strike is the real deal.
At the top of the odds board are two impressive horses. Mo Donegal made it to the Kentucky Derby with wins in the G2 Remsen and Wood Memorial, where he outlasted eventual Preakness winner Early Voting. Mo Donegal finished what most considered a disappointing fifth in the Derby where he had a hard time keeping pace in the big field. That won’t be a problem on Saturday and he should flourish from the sixth stall making him a win contender.
A close second on the odds board We The People gets a crack in his first Triple Crown race following an impressive run in the G3 Peter Pan. The distance could impact We The People more than any horse with his pacesetting style. We saw that work against him in a similar field at the Arkansas Derby, which is a shorter distance than the Belmont Stakes, when he ran wide and wasn’t a factor. Though he’s near the top of the odds board I’m fading We The People due to his lack of big race experience.
That brings us to the underdogs and after Rich Strike baffled everyone as a huge longshot in Kentucky, everyone wants a piece of the action. Golden Glider is the favorite to finish last and hasn’t been included in such a strong field. He did win the first two races of his career but placed fourth twice and fifth in three starts on the Derby trail. He did finish second to We The People at the Peter Pan so there is hope.
Nest is the likely contender among the longshots. Only two fillies have ever won the Belmont and the last was trained by Todd Pletcher, who also handles Nest. She was second in the Kentucky Oaks after a winning the G1 Ashland and she was bred to handle the distance. “I think she has the right disposition for it and has given us every indication that she’s doing very well,” Pletcher said of Nest.
Belmont Stakes Picks
The field is tight with five of the eight participants listed with odds of 9/1 or shorter. We won’t see the big longshot winner since no horse is listed with such long odds, but the favorites are definitely the class of the field. I’m not sold on We The People and Rich Strike came out of nowhere in Kentucky leaving Mo Donegal and Nest to battle it out for the blanket of carnations.
Belmont Stakes Finish: 1) Mo Donegal 2) Nest 3) Rich Strike
