The oldest of the Triple Crown races turns 158 on Saturday, June 6. That is when the 2026 Belmont Stakes will take place at Saratoga Race Course in Upstate New York. Belmont Stakes 158, just like the prior two runnings, is taking place at Saratoga due to a multi-year construction project at the event's normal home of Belmont Park. With the change in location also comes a change in distance as the Belmont Stakes 2026 will take place at 1 1/4 miles, as opposed to its usual distance of 1 1/2 miles.
Kentucky Derby runner-up, Renegade, is the 9-2 favorite in the 2026 Belmont Stakes odds, followed by Chief Wallabee (5-1) and Commandment (6-1). Derby winner, Golden Tempo, will race again after skipping the Preakness, and he's at 9-1 after being a 30-1 horse racing longshot at Churchill Downs. Before making any 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, be sure to see the 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions and best bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 11 of the last 22 Preakness winners and predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last eight years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Belmont Stakes field set, Demling is sharing his 2026 Belmont Stakes betting picks and 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions
For the 2026 Belmont Stakes, we can tell you that Demling is fading Golden Tempo (9-1), even though the Kentucky Derby winner is well-rested after skipping the Preakness. Even in that victory, the horse's speed figures dropped from his previous race, going from 116 in a third-place finish at the Louisiana Derby to 109 at Churchill Downs. This year's Belmont is the same distance as the Kentucky Derby, so it's not encouraging that Golden Tempo's top speed drops in longer races.
Golden Tempo infamously rallied from last to first at the Kentucky Derby, as every break went his way. Demling doesn't see the horse benefitting from that same kind of fortune at Saratoga and doesn't even have the horse finishing in the top five. "I don't believe the set up of this race will be anything like it was in the Derby, which was perfect for a deep closer," Demling told SportsLine. See which horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an epic longshot who "will make a big jump" to win it all. Anyone who backs this sleeper pick could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Belmont Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Belmont Stakes 2026, and which stunning longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Belmont Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who has nailed four of the last eight winners.
