Belmont Stakes 2022: Odds, picks, free PPs, preview, more

Rich Strike on Saturday aims to achieve the Kentucky Derby-Belmont Stakes double, while seven other 3-year-olds seek a first taste of Triple Crown glory.

We the People (2-1) is morning-line favorite for the 2022 Belmont Stakes. Post time from Belmont Park is 6:44 p.m. EDT, with NBC to show the 154th running of the 1 1/2-mile event.

The Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont caps the 2022 Triple Crown series. Rich Strike stunned the Kentucky Derby on May 7 as an 80-1 long shot two weeks before Early Voting wired the Preakness Stakes.

Rich Strike (7-2), who skipped the Preakness, is back for the Belmont. Early Voting is one of several prominent 3-year-olds who are skipping the Belmont to target summer events like Saratoga’s Travers Stakes (G1).

We the People makes his first start Saturday in the three-race series off a local victory May 14 in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3). The 3-year-old Constitution colt romped that day in front-running fashion by 10 1/4 lengths.

A partnership of WinStar Farm, Bobby Flay, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm campaigns We the People. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset has never saddled a Belmont starter, while jockey Flavien Prat bids for his first Belmont crown after crossing second last year aboard Hot Rod Charlie behind Essential Quality.

Mo Donegal (5-2) and filly Nest (8-1) give Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher two chances at winning the Belmont for the fourth time.

Mo Donegal, twice a Grade 2 winner at Aqueduct, finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby after getting away slow from the rail and then running 10-wide into the stretch. Grade 1 heroine Nest crossed second behind Secret Oath on May 6 in the Kentucky Oaks.

Rich Strike returned to the work tab on Preakness day for trainer Eric Reed with a breeze at Churchill Downs, then moved there once more May 30 before shipping to New York. He will attempt to become the first non-Triple Crown winner to win both the Derby and the Belmont since Thunder Gulch in 1995.

Preakness third-place runner Creative Minister (6-1) is the highest-finishing colt from that race to enter the starting gates Saturday at Belmont. Kenny McPeek seeks his second Belmont score 20 years after Sarava delivered the trainer’s first in 2002.

Barber Road (10-1) finished sixth in the Derby for trainer John Ortiz. Mark Casse trains Golden Glider (20-1), the Peter Pan runner-up. Skippylongstocking (20-1) was fifth in the Preakness for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Here is a look at the field for the 2022 Belmont Stakes (trainer and jockey in parentheses) with morning-line odds. You can follow updated Belmont odds throughout Saturday.

1. We the People (Rodolphe Brisset, Flavien Prat), 2-1

2. Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph Jr., Manny Franco), 20-1

3. Nest (Todd Pletcher, Jose Ortiz), 8-1

4. Rich Strike (Eric Reed, Sonny Leon), 7-2

5. Creative Minister (Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr.), 6-1

6. Mo Donegal (Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr.), 5-2

7. Golden Glider (Mark Casse, Dylan Davis), 20-1

8. Barber Road (John Ortiz, Joel Rosario), 10-1

TimeformUS’ pace projections show We the People going to the early lead under Prat. Visit Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page for more information on the Belmont Stakes’ eight runners.

Belmont Stakes links 

Horse Racing Nation staff and contributors make Belmont Stakes expert picks.

Reinier Macatangay predicts the Belmont Stakes full order of finish, from Mo Donegal to Golden Glider. He also writes about how Nest can win the Belmont if the distance moves her up.

Matt Shifman analyzes the Belmont field, separating win contenders from tosses.

Morning-line favorite We the People is the only front runner in a field that with seven other horses who have a strong preference to race from off the pace. Celebrity chef and prominent owner Bobby Flay recently bought into the colt.

Mike Repole demonstrates his belief that owners should “think of the sport first, me second” by entering both Mo Donegal and Nest in the Belmont.

Rich Strike trainer Eric Reed and owner Rick Dawson discuss the pace scenarios the Derby winner could face in the Belmont.

Jockey Sonny Leon must prove Rich Strike’s Kentucky Derby was no fluke while competing at an uncommon distance at an unfamiliar track his rivals know well.

One of the key members of Team Rich Strike is groom Jerry Dixon Jr., who is on the ride of a lifetime with the Derby hero.

Other than Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify, the last Preakness starter to win the Belmont was Afleet Alex in 2005. Creative Minister will try to buck that trend.

Todd Pletcher saddled the last filly to win the Belmont Stakes and aims to do it once more Saturday with Nest.

“I promised myself I wasn’t going to come back to New York until I was good enough,” said John Ortiz, who saddles Kentucky Derby sixth-place runner Barber Road.

Jockey Dylan Davis, the leading rider at the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, will have his first mount in a Triple Crown race when piloting Golden Glider.

Will weather affect the 2022 Belmont Stakes? If so, see which horses could move up in the mud.

This weekend’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod features an interview with Mo Donegal and Nest trainer Pletcher as he seeks his fourth Belmont Stakes win. Another episode features Belmont Stakes hard-core handicapping.

HorseCenter hosts Shifman and Brian Zipse analyze strategy for the Belmont Stakes.

From Secretariat to Tabasco Cat, here are the nine fastest Belmont Stakes winners.

Other Saturday stakes

Here is a look at other graded stakes taking place Saturday at Belmont Park and elsewhere across the U.S. Post times are EDT.

12:33 p.m. – $500,000 Acorn Stakes (G1), 3-year-old fillies, one mile, Belmont Park, FS2

Echo Zulu (3-5) aims to bounce back for trainer Steve Asmussen after taking the first loss of her career May 6 at Churchill Downs when fourth in the Kentucky Oaks. Jockey Joel Rosario stays aboard the Gun Runner filly, a three-time Grade 1 winner and reigning juvenile filly champ. Brad Cox trains Matareya (6-5), whose three-race winning streak includes an Eight Belles Stakes (G2) score on the Oaks undercard. Divine Huntress (12-1) cuts back to one turn for trainer Graham Motion after crossing fourth May 20 at Pimlico in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2).

1:08 p.m. – $500,000 Just a Game Stakes (G1), 4-and-up fillies and mares, one mile (turf), Belmont Park, FS2

Speak of the Devil (1-1) won her first start for trainer Chad Brown’s barn, taking the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 7. Jockey Flavien Prat will be up on the 5-year-old Wootton Bassett mare, previously a stakes winner in France. Brown also trains two-time Grade 1 heroine Regal Glory (6-5), who took the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1) on April 16 at Keeneland. In Italian (9-2), a Grade 3 victor and Churchill Distaff runner-up, is the third of Brown’s three starters.

1:47 p.m. – $400,000 Brooklyn Stakes (G2), 4-and-up, 1 1/2 miles, Belmont Park, FS2

Lone Rock (2-1) has become a standout in these dirt marathons for trainer Robertino Diodoro and won the 2021 Brooklyn Stakes. Jockey Ramon Vazquez gets a leg up on the 7-year-old Majestic Warrior gelding, winner of the Isaac Murphy Marathon Overnight Stakes on May 3 at Churchill. Cox trains Warrant (3-1), a Grade 3 winner who was fourth April 23 at Keeneland in the Ben Ali Stakes (G3). Fearless (3-1), a Grade 2 victor at one mile, stretches out for trainer Todd Pletcher off a runner-up effort April 23 at Oaklawn Park in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2).

2:22 p.m. – $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1), 3-year-olds, seven furlongs, Belmont Park, FS2

Jack Christopher (1-2) cuts back by a furlong after improving his ledger to 3-for-3 with a Derby card score in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2). Brown has tabbed jockey Jose Ortiz to pilot the Munnings colt, whose previous start at Belmont was a Champagne Stakes (G1) win last October. Pletcher trains Wit (7-2), who climbs the class ladder after winning the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) on April 9 at Aqueduct. Morello (9-2), a Grade 3 victor for Asmussen, returns after finishing sixth in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), also April 9 at Aqueduct.

3:05 p.m. – $500,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1), 4-and-up fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles, Belmont Park, CNBC

Letruska (6-5) returns to defend her victory in the 2021 Ogden Phipps, one of five Grade 1 wins she has amassed in her career. Ortiz rides the 6-year-old Super Saver mare, winner of the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) on April 23 at Oaklawn, for trainer Fausto Gutierrez. Pletcher trains Malathaat (5-2), a three-time Grade 1 heroine who took the Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) on April 22 at Keeneland. Clairiere (3-1), another Grade 1 winner, was runner-up in the Apple Blossom for Asmussen. The winner of this event receives a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.

3:53 p.m. – $400,000 Jaipur Stakes (G1), 3-and-up, six furlongs (turf), Belmont Park, CNBC

Arrest Me Red (5-2) looks for back-to-back wins after taking the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) on the Kentucky Oaks card. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will be up on the 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile colt for trainer Wesley Ward. Bill Mott trains the 2021 Jaipur winner Casa Creed (9-2), who returns stateside off a fifth-place effort March 26 at Meydan in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1). Gear Jockey (6-1), a Grade 3 victor, was fourth in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint for trainer Rusty Arnold. The winner of this race receives a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.

4:43 p.m. – $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (G1), 3-and-up, one mile, Belmont Park, CNBC

Flightline (3-5), 3-for-3 in his brief career, makes a 4-year-old bow for trainer John Sadler in his first race outside of California. Prat stays aboard the Tapit colt, who garnered a 118 Beyer Speed Figure on Dec. 26 when romping in the Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita. Mott trains Speaker’s Corner (8-5), whose 3-for-3 record this year includes a Carter Handicap (G1) triumph April 9 at Aqueduct. 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (6-1) was third on the Derby card in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) for trainer Wayne Catalano. The winner of this event receives a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.

5:38 p.m. – $750,000 Manhattan Stakes (G1), 4-and-up, 1 1/4 miles (turf), Belmont Park, NBC

Gufo (3-1), twice a Grade 1 victor, finished third in the Manhattan last June for trainer Christophe Clement. Rosario gets the assignment on the 5-year-old son of Declaration of War, runner-up May 14 in the local Man o’ War Stakes (G1). Brendan Walsh trains Santin (7-2), winner of the Turf Classic Stakes (G1) one race prior to the Kentucky Derby. Adhamo (4-1) was third in the Turf Classic for Brown.

7:55 p.m. – $100,000 Affirmed Stakes (G3), 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles, Santa Anita, TVG

High Connection (2-1) makes a stakes bow in his third career start off a runner-up showing May 8 at Santa Anita in an allowance race. Jockey Juan Hernandez will get a leg up from trainer Sean McCarthy on the Connect colt. Tim Yakteen trains Doppelganger (5-2), who returns to California after finishing sixth in the Pat Day Mile. Newgrange (5-2), twice a Grade 3 winner, last raced Feb. 26 at Oaklawn when sixth in the Rebel Stakes (G2) for former trainer Bob Baffert and starts Saturday for Yakteen.