The final jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, runs this Saturday. With Belmont Racetrack undergoing a facelift, this year’s race will happen at Saratoga Racetrack in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race will be shorter than the traditional mile and a half running just a mile and a quarter.
The favorite is Sierra Leone (9-5) followed by the winners of the first two jewels of the Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (5-1) and the winner of The Preakness Stakes, Seize the Grey (8-1). The Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone was the favorite at Churchill Downs and closed fast but ultimately finished second in the Kentucky Derby. He did not run at Pimlico in The Preakness.
Few horses in today’s world run in all three legs of the Triple Crown. Mystik Dan is the first to do so since War of Will in 2019. Ken McPeek’s horse barely missed out on a shot at the Triple Crown, finishing second in the Preakness after winning the Run for the Roses.
D. Wayne Lucas’ Seize the Grey outraced Mystik Dan at The Preakness and in doing so will look to be the first non-Triple Crown winner since Afleet Alex (2005) to claim the Preakness and the Belmont. While Seize the Grey did not run in the Kentucky Derby, he did run…and win…the Pat Day that same weekend. To race three times in five weeks let alone win that third race of the three is a daunting task for any horse.
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NBC Sports betting analyst Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) studies the horses. He liked the favorite prior to the Kentucky Derby and likes Sierra Leone again Saturday.
“I like the favorite a lot. Sierra Leone is the best of the class, has a great combination of trainer (McPeek) and jockey (Pratt) especially for this course (Saratoga).”
Here’s a quick snapshot of each of the horses in the 2024 Belmont Stakes listed by post position. Included is info on the trainer, jockey, recent history, and potentially pertinent biographical news.
- Trainer: D. Wayne Lucas | Jockey: Jaime Torres
- Won the 2024 Preakness Stakes
- Most experienced horse in the field with 10 starts and leads with four career victories
- Trainer: Bill Mott | Jockey: Junior Alvarado
- Finished 6th in the Kentucky Derby
- Won the 2024 Wood Memorial
- Trainer: Kenny McPeek | Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
- 2024 Kentucky Derby Winner
- Placed 2nd in the Preakness Stakes
- Trainer: Mike Maker | Jockey: Manny Franco
- Won the first three races in his career as a 2-year-old
- Finished 2nd in the Breeders’ Futurity
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher | Jockey: John Velazquez
- Only began racing in January of 2024 | Won the 2024 Peter Pan Stakes
- Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Belmont 4 times
- Trainer: Danny Gargan | Jockey: Luis Saez
- Finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby
- Won the Fountain of Youth Stakes
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher | Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
- Finished 3rd in both the Wood Memorial and the Peter Pan
- Has raced at Saratoga
- Trainer: Whit Beckman | Jockey: Florent Geroux
- Finished 8th in the Kentucky Derby
- Finished 2nd in the Louisiana Derby
- Trainer: Chad Brown | Jockey: Flavien Prat
- Finished 2nd in the Kentucky Derby in a photo finish
- Won the Risen Star and the Wood Memorial
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher | Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
- Has won the only two races of his career
- Co-owned by Vinny Viola who also owns the Florida Panthers
Enjoy the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown on Saturday at Saratoga.
