Chad Brown is utilizing the "strength in numbers" concept at the 2026 Belmont Stakes as he has three horses in the field. All three are mid-to-long shots, but saddling 33% of the Belmont Stakes 2026 field certainly has its advantages. Emerging Market at 6-1 has the shortest Belmont Stakes odds of Brown's trio, followed by Growth Equity (12-1) and Ottinho (20-1). A native of Mechanicville, N.Y., Brown will aim for his first Belmont victory at a race track just 15 minutes from his hometown. Claim your exclusive TwinSpires $400 signup offer here with the promo code CBSSPORTS, more than what's available to the general public:
The 2026 Belmont Stakes has a 7:04 p.m. ET post time on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. Ahead of Brown's trio of thoroughbreds on the Belmont Stakes 2026 odds board is the favorite, Renegade (2-1), Chief Wallabee at 3-1 and Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo at 9-2. With so much to consider while making your 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
The 2026 Belmont Stakes will be the 158th running of the Test of Champions and, unsurprisingly, the list of winners is overwhelmingly American thoroughbreds. Just nine of the prior 157 Belmont champions were born outside of the United States. Five were British-born, three came from Ireland, and one was from Canada. Victory Gallop (1998) remains the last foreign-born Belmont Stakes champion as the Canadian thoroughbred won by a nose in that year's race, thus preventing Real Quiet's bid for the Triple Crown.
Given all the history of the race, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Belmont Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2026 Belmont Stakes picks possible.
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 post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2026 Belmont Stakes betting predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2026 Belmont Stakes expert picks
Here's a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine's Jody Demling:
Belmont Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $13.20 at the 2025 Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty and Journalism.
Belmont Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $13.80 at the 2025 Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza.
Belmont Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $40.50 at the 2025 Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty, Journalism, Baeza and Rodriguez.
While Golden Tempo (9-2) is one of the favorites, Demling isn't including the Kentucky Derby winner in his picks for the 2026 Belmont Stakes. "I still don't believe he's the best of this bunch and I don't think he gets a perfect set up here like he did at Churchill," Demling told SportsLine. He is building his tickets around an epic double-digit longshot who a legendary trainer is "very high on", spicing up Demling's 2026 Belmont Stakes exotics. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2026 Belmont Stakes bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Belmont Stakes 2026. He's sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take, and in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling's picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2026 Belmont Stakes.
