This Saturday, the Belmont Stakes will feature a thrilling New York showdown between the top two finishers from the Kentucky Derby, marking the conclusion of the 2026 Triple Crown series.
A total of nine horses are scheduled to compete in the Belmont, the final race in the prestigious Triple Crown series for 3-year-olds. This year, there won’t be a Triple Crown winner since Golden Tempo, the Derby champion, opted out of the Preakness Stakes held in Maryland on May 16.
2026 Belmont Stakes horses and odds
Renegade, who was narrowly defeated by Golden Tempo in the Derby, is the early favorite for the Belmont, starting with 2-1 odds. These odds are subject to change as bets are placed leading up to the race, which is set to start at approximately 7:04 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Below is the list of contenders for the Belmont Stakes arranged by their post position along with their morning-line odds:
- 1. Vitruvian Man, 30-1
- 2. Powershift, 12-1
- 3. Chief Wallabee, 3-1
- 4. Renegade, 2-1
- 5. Ottinho, 20-1
- 6. Growth Equity, 12-1
- 7. Commandment, 6-1
- 8. Emerging Market, 6-1
- 9. Golden Tempo, 9-2
Traditionally known as the Test of the Champion, the Belmont Stakes is usually the longest of the Triple Crown races, spanning 1 1/2 miles. However, this year’s race will cover 1 1/4 miles—the same distance as the Derby—due to the layout of the main track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, where the Belmont has been held since 2024.
The event is anticipated to return to its traditional venue, Belmont Park on Long Island, New York, in 2027, following the completion of a significant redevelopment project slated to finish later this year.
Before his second-place finish at the Derby on the first Saturday of May, Renegade won the Arkansas Derby in March and Florida’s Sam F. Davis Stakes in February. The bay colt also came in second place in December’s Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Renegade in the Belmont, as he did in the Kentucky Derby. The 33-year-old is seeking his third Belmont victory after winning with Mo Donegal in 2022 and Creator in 2016. In this year’s Preakness, Ortiz was aboard Talkin, who came in 12th place.
Renegade is trained by Todd Pletcher, who teamed up with Ortiz for Mo Donegal’s Belmont victory. Pletcher has also saddled three other winners at the Belmont: Tapwrit in 2017, Palace Malice in 2013 and the filly Rags to Riches in 2007. Pletcher will have another horse in Saturday’s race: Powershift, who was given 12-1 odds in the morning line.
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Chief Wallabee, who was given 3-1 morning-line odds, finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby. The bay colt came into the Triple Crown opener after finishing third in the Florida Derby in March behind fellow Belmont competitor Commandment, who won the race. A month before the Florida Derby, Chief Wallabee came in second behind Commandment at the Fountain of Youth Stakes in Florida.
Junior Alvarado was aboard Chief Wallabee for the Kentucky Derby, and he’ll have the mount in the Belmont. The 40-year-old rode Sovereignty to victory in last year’s Derby and Belmont. At this year’s Preakness, Alvarado finished in 13th place aboard Crupper.
Alvarado teamed up with trainer Bill Mott for Sovereignty’s wins in Kentucky and New York, and the two are together again for Chief Wallabee’s run at the Belmont. Mott has also saddled another winner in the Triple Crown’s third jewel: Drosselmeyer in 2010.
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With 9-2 morning-line odds, Golden Tempo has a chance to follow in Sovereignty’s footsteps and become the 13th horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont.
The Derby winner raced in New Orleans ahead of the Run for the Roses, winning January’s Lecomte Stakes and finishing third in February’s Risen Star Stakes. The bay colt also came in third in March’s Louisiana Derby, which was won by fellow Belmont contender Emerging Market.
Jose Ortiz, who rode Golden Tempo to victory in the Kentucky Derby, will have the mount in Belmont. The 32-year-old made it to the winner’s circle with Tapwrit in 2017 and came close with several horses who came in second: Nest in 2022, Tacitus in 2019 and Gronkowski in 2018. At the Preakness, Ortiz finished third aboard Chip Honcho.
Golden Tempo’s trainer Cherie DeVaux, who was born in Saratoga Springs, made history by becoming the first woman to saddle a winner at the Kentucky Derby. She could become the second woman to train a Belmont winner, after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in 2023.
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In addition to his wins at the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth Stakes, Commandment, who was given 6-1 morning-line odds, also won Florida’s Mucho Macho Man Stakes in January. But the bay colt wasn’t able to keep his winning streak going at the Kentucky Derby and came in seventh.
John Velazquez will be aboard Commandment in the Belmont. The 54-year-old came in 11th in both the Derby and the Preakness, with Further Ado and Corona de Oro, respectively. Velazquez has ridden two Belmont winners — Union Rags in 2012 and Rags to Riches in 2007 — and he’s come in second three times, with Fly Down in 2010, Dunkirk in 2009 and Bluegrass Cat in 2006.
Trainer Brad Cox will be going for his second Belmont win with Commandment. He went to the winner’s circle at the Belmont for the first time in 2021 with Essential Quality. The horse was one of two Cox saddled in that year’s Kentucky Derby to finish in the money, with Essential Quality coming in third and Mandaloun winning the race.
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Emerging Market also received 6-1 odds in the morning line. After winning the Louisiana Derby, the chestnut colt came in 10th place in the Kentucky Derby.
Flavien Prat rode Emerging Market in the Derby, and he’ll have the mount in the Belmont. It will be the 33-year-old’s sixth straight year at the race, with his first ride being his best so far, finishing second aboard Hot Rod Charlie in 2021. At the Preakness, Prat had the mount when Iron Honor came in second.
Iron Honor is trained by Chad Brown, who is saddling Emerging Market in the Belmont as well as Growth Equity and Ottinho, who were given 12-1 odds and 20-1 odds in the morning line, respectively.
Like Prat, this year will be Brown’s sixth looking for a win at the Belmont. He came close in 2018, when Gronkowski came in second.
Only one horse in this year’s morning line was given the long-shot odds of 30-1: Vitruvian Man.
