A quality field of eight will enter the starting gate for the third and final jewel in the Triple Crown, the 154th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million 2022 Belmont Stakes on Saturday June 11 at Belmont Park.
Dimers.com horse racing expert Kimberly French gives you all the details you need to know before placing your Belmont Stakes bets this Saturday.
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Established in 1867, the Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the Triple Crown races and the longest. This is the first and probably only occasion the field will ever compete over 1-1/2 miles, so pedigree does matter.
2022 Belmont Stakes: Main Contenders
Rich Strike (7-2)
Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will endeavor to prove his 80-1 upset at Churchill Downs was no fluke. Conditioned by Eric Reed and owned by Rick Dawson’s RED-TR Racing, the son of Keen Ice provided his breeder, Calumet Farms, with their ninth title in that category.
Rich Strike’s team plays New York, New York for him every morning so he’ll know it when he steps onto the track for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. Turns out he likes Sinatra! pic.twitter.com/OrTLCxV0Bk
— Mary Eddy🏇🏼 (@singmysongbird) June 8, 2022
Rich Strike’s connections opted to target the Belmont Stakes and skip the Preakness to stick to his schedule of four to six weeks between starts. The chestnut would be the first non-Triple Crown winner to win the Run for the Roses and Belmont Stakes since Thunder Gulch in 1995. Ten other horses have accomplished this feat.
Rich Strike is the third choice on the morning line at 7-2 and will commence his quest for white carnations with regular pilot, Sonny Leon, in the irons from post position four.
We the People (2-1)
We the People is the 2-1 morning line favorite and will leave from the rail with Flavien Prat holding the reins.
Despite being lightly raced with a record of 4-3-0-0, the son of Constitution is favored off his impressive performance in the Grade 3 Peter Pan over this surface on May 14 where he hit the wire 10-1/4 lengths to the good of fellow Belmont Stakes entrant Golden Glider.
He was assigned a 103 Beyer Speed figure for that effort which is the highest in the field.
2022 Belmont Stakes odds: We The People favored to win last leg of Triple Crown https://t.co/1cHNqpL6Ds pic.twitter.com/1YgtXNI53w
— New York Post (@nypost) June 8, 2022
Owned by WinStar Farm, CMNWLTH, Siena Farm and Bobby Flay, We the People is trained by Rodolphe Brisset, a long-time exercise rider for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott at this track.
The colt demonstrated his talent and affinity for two turns at Oaklawn Park this winter but was off the board in the Grade I Arkansas Derby.
We the People signaled he is prepared for the Belmont with a half-mile breeze in a sprightly :47.59 on June 4. If the colt wins it would be Brisset’s first classic victory.
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Mo Donegal (5-2)
Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who is also based at Belmont Park, will send out Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner Mo Donegal and Grade I Ashland winner Nest.
Owned by Donegal Racing and Repole Stable, Mo Donegal was an extremely good fifth in the Kentucky Derby as he came from 17 lengths behind and second-to-last. Going wide around the turn side-by-side with fellow Belmont entrant Barber Road, Mo Donegal was only 3-3/4 lengths behind Rich Strike.
G1 Belmont Stakes contenders MO DONEGAL and NEST out for their final works before the big race @PletcherRacing @DonegalRacing @EclipseTBP pic.twitter.com/CVq1pTogEL
— Ryan Martin (@RyanMartinNYRA) June 4, 2022
The son of Uncle Mo has competed primarily in the Empire State and also won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes in December at Aqueduct Racetrack. He defeated Grade I Bluegrass Stakes winner Zandon in that event.
Zandon would finish third in the Kentucky Derby. If Mo Donegal takes the Belmont, he would be the first horse to win the Wood Memorial and the Belmont Stakes since Empire Maker in 2003.
Mo Donegal, who is 5-2 on the morning line, will have three-time champion jockey Irad Ortiz at the controls when he leaves from post position six. If the colt wins it would be Ortiz’ second Belmont win and Pletcher’s fourth, tying him with Max Hirsch, R. Wyndham Walden and D. Wayne Lukas.
Nest (8-1)
Pletcher will also saddle the filly Nest. Owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred partners and Michael House, Nest was second to Secret Oath, who ran fourth in the Grade I Preakness Stakes, in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks on May 6. After she was able to shake free in the lane, Nest closed strongly to the wire.
NEST 😍 one of @PletcherRacing's contenders for the #BelmontStakes is looking picture perfect ahead of the big day at #Belmont...Can she be the next filly to take the Test of the Champion? @EclipseTBP pic.twitter.com/wN0YTfxl7f
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 5, 2022
The filly has never been off the board in any of the six pari-mutuel events she has competed in. Nest captured her first two trips to the post by open lengths. The first at Tampa Bay Downs in the Suncoast Stakes by six lengths before she rolled by 8-1/4 quarter lengths in the Grade I Ashland on April 8 at Keeneland Racecourse.
Nest, who will have Jose Ortiz aboard, is 8-1 on the morning line and will begin her journey from post position three. She would be become the fourth filly to capture the Belmont joining Ruthless, Tanya [1905] and Rags to Riches [2007], who was also trained by Pletcher.
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Creative Minister (6-1)
Two decades after Ken McPeek saddled Sarava to record the biggest upset in Belmont Stakes history at 70-1, he returns to the Big Apple with Creative Minister. The son of Grade 1 winner Creative Cause arrives in New York after a third-place finish in the Preakness Stakes three weeks ago.
Creative Minister enjoying a Belmont sunrise pic.twitter.com/WxhsyyBvWH
— Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek) June 5, 2022
Owned by Fern Circle Stables, Back Racing and Magdalena Racing, Creative Minister is 6-1 on the morning line and will leave from post five. The colt was supplemented to the Preakness Stakes for $150,000 and it was his first appearance in a graded stake.
If Creative Minister takes another step forward and wins the Belmont Stakes it would be the first classic victory for jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.
Barber Road (10-1)
Barber Road, who is 10-1 on the morning line, was a late closing sixth in Louisville five weeks ago. The son of Race Day was last in the field of 20 at the first quarter-mile marker and was 11 lengths from the rail as he galloped into the stretch.
He finished only 4-3/4 lengths behind Rich Strike after an enduring a much longer journey.
Hiiiiii Barber Road! He heads out to Big Sandy to stretch his legs ahead of the #BelmontStakes 👏 pic.twitter.com/Q4U088A1fY
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 8, 2022
Although Barber Road has yet to capture a graded stake, he has demonstrated his ability. He was second in the Grade I Arkansas Derby when losing a shoe, second in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes and the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes. He was also third in the Grade 2 Rebel.
A win by Barber Road would be the first for owner WSS Racing and for trainer John Ortiz. It is the first Belmont Stakes entrant for both.
Joel Rosario, a two-time winner of the Belmont Stakes, will ride and the duo will exit from post position eight.
PICK: This is a tough one to pick because there is no pace except We the People for Mo Donegal and Rich Strike to run into. I'm taking Nest and Creative Minister because I don't think the slow pace will impact them as much.
2022 Belmont Stakes Field and Odds
- We The People (2-1)
- Skippylongstocking (20-1)
- Nest (8-1)
- Rich Strike (7-2)
- Creative Minister (6-1)
- Mo Donegal (5-2)
- Golden Gilder (20-1)
- Barber Road (10-1)
Kimberly French is a freelance horse racing writer and Assistant Director and Production Manager at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) at The New York Racing Association.
Kimberly French, an award-winning freelance journalist, specializes in televised horse racing content with 15 years of industry experience. When not at the racetrack, she roots for the Syracuse Orange and the New York Yankees.
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