Betting On The 2025 Belmont Stakes: How To Bet & Guide

The winner of the 2024 Belmont Stakes was Dornoch at odds of 17-1. Traditionally taking place at Belmont Park, the race will be at Saratoga Race Course in 2024 and 2025. The 2025 Belmont will take place on Saturday, June 7. It’ll be the 157th edition of the iconic event, which is the last of the three Triple Crown races. Here’s a look at how to bet online, racebook bonuses, and the latest Belmont Stakes odds.

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Where to bet on the Belmont Stakes in 2025

FanDuel Racing    

FanDuel Racing has quickly established itself as a top option for betting on the races. The gambling giant known for daily fantasy sports and online sports betting has delivered another solid platform that’s available on the web and mobile in a number of states where betting on horse races is legal. It’s quick and easy to sign up, and you’ll gain live access to streaming from tracks across the globe to boot. There’s also FanDuel TV to catch broadcasts of racing action.

FanDuel Racing is available as a standalone product in 13 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington. In 14 other states, the FanDuel Racing app is integrated into the company’s sportsbook product. Those states are Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

If you’re one of the nearly 100,000 who make the annual trip to Belmont Park for the race, you can bet in person while experiencing the thrill of one of the biggest events on the yearly horse racing calendar. If you wish to bet when you’re at the track, just head to a teller and place your wager. Then, if you win, go back to the same spot to collect your winnings.

Many other racecourses across the US also offer simulcast wagering on the Belmont Stakes. You can visit another racetrack and enjoy the Belmont Stakes with fellow racing fans. For another option, multiple states allow OTB (off-track betting) shops. A simple internet search will point you in the right direction.

Types of bets: Win, place, and show odds

For a race as big as the Belmont Stakes, you’ll find a range of wagers on betting apps like FanDuel Racing. Let’s take a look at the top options, beginning with the standard horse racing wagers:

• Win: This wager is the most straightforward. Simply put your money down on your selection hitting that winning post first.
• Place: If you want to play it a little safer, the place bet offers slightly lower potential winnings, but you’ll be paid if your selection finishes first or second.
• Show: This time around, you’ll win if your selection finishes in the first three places.

In addition to betting on a single horse and where that horse might finish, you can also try your hand at projecting multiple places. For the following bets, which are often called exotics, the goal is to select the top two to four horses in the race.

• Exacta: Correctly predict first and second place in the race.
• Trifecta: Choose first, second and third in the correct order.
• Superfecta: Pick the first, second, third and fourth finishers in the right order.

The rewards are often lucrative for the above three bets, but there’s also a good deal of risk. It’s challenging enough to nail a single pick, let alone multiple horses from the same race. For the exotics, you can place a straight bet on your selections in the exact order, box multiple selections that can finish in any order, or wheel your picks by spreading out the number of selections per finishing position.

Also, keep in mind that there will be other races on the card on the day of the Belmont Stakes. You can try your hand at picking the winners of those races with wagers such as a Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 or Pick 6. The goal is to pick the winner of successive races, and the outlay is generally small when you stick to a single horse for each race. While challenging to win, the returns can be great if you manage to pull it off.

Here’s a look back at the full payouts from the 2024 Belmont Stakes.

Past winners of the Belmont Stakes

The first winner of the Belmont Stakes was Ruthless in 1867. Ruthless was the only filly in the race, facing three other rivals. In the 155-race history of the Belmont Stakes, only two other fillies have triumphed: Tanya in 1905 and Rags to Riches in 2007. Perhaps the most famous winners of the Belmont Stakes are those who have completed the famed Triple Crown of US horse racing with a victory. Here are the 13 horses that have achieved that feat to date:

• Sir Barton (1919)
• Gallant Fox (1930)
• Omaha (1935)
• War Admiral (1937)
• Whirlaway (1941)
• Count Fleet (1943)
• Assault (1946)
• Citation (1948)
• Secretariat (1973)
• Seattle Slew (1977)
• Affirmed (1978)
• American Pharaoh (2015)
• Justify (2018)

Overall, there have been 36 occasions when a horse has won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but only the above 13 have managed to complete the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes. The year 1993 saw a landmark victory in the Belmont Stakes when Colonial Affair hit the finishing post first. Julie Krone was aboard the winner, making her the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown event. In total, there have been nine winners of the race from outside the US, most recently Victory Gallop from Canada in 1998.

All Belmont Stakes Winners, 1879 to 2024

How to qualify for the Belmont Stakes

There is a safety limit of only 12 horses in the Belmont Stakes. Unless there is an injury, if a horse has already won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, it will be guaranteed a starting spot at Belmont. Career earnings are the main qualifying criteria, meaning horses that have performed well in the major races will have a place should they accept it.

Owners will have to pay $15,000 for initial entry, and another $15,000 if the horse makes the starting gate. If a horse isn’t registered for the Triple Crown races by late January, owners will have to pay an additional $75,000 for the privilege of entering.

In an ideal world, if there are different winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, they’ll meet at the Belmont Stakes for the unofficial title of the best 3-year-old in racing. Upon entering, colts and geldings will carry a weight of 126 pounds, while if a filly does enter the race, she’ll carry a weight of 121 pounds.

History of the Belmont Stakes

In 1866, stock market speculator Leonard Jerome built the Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx with financing from August Belmont Sr. The first race, with Ruthless winning, took place the following year, and the race would continue at Jerome Park until 1889. Nearby Morris Park then hosted the race until 1905. At that point, a group of investors that included August Belmont Jr. opened Belmont Park in Elmont, just east of New York City limits. Aside from a move to Aqueduct between 1963 and 1967, Belmont Park has continued as the home of the Belmont Stakes.

In 1911 and 1912, anti-gambling legislation in the state of New York saw the race canceled, but it returned in 1913 and has been running every year since. The Belmont Stakes is the longest of the Triple Crown races. At 1.5 miles, it offers more of a test of endurance than the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes — the perfect race to test the all-around ability of a potential Triple Crown winner. The race’s nickname is the Test of the Champion.

The early days of the race were even longer, at more than 1 5/8 miles, and it experimented with shorter distances during the end of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. The Belmont Stakes finally settled on a distance of 1.5 miles in 1926. Despite the history of the race, some of the oldest traditions have been subject to change in recent years. For instance, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” outed “The Sidewalks of New York” as the parade song in 1997 (with a one-year experiment of using Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” in 2010, before reverting to Sinatra in 2011).

Classic moments in the Belmont Stakes

1973

Secretariat dominated the Triple Crown in 1973. Having won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in record times (records that still hold to this day), the Penny Chenery-trained horse was the rightful hot favorite for the Belmont Stakes. The early part of the race saw Secretariat and rival Sham draw away from the field to make it a match, but then Secretariat made his move, pulling away from Sham with relative ease on the back straight. Secretariat ran the fastest time in the history of the Belmont Stakes, too, a time that also stands to this day.

1978

Occasionally, you find a year when two superstar horses come along at once. In any other year, Alydar might have won the Triple Crown himself, but the incredible Affirmed stood in his way. After tussles in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, which both saw Affirmed come out the victor, they faced each other again. The final 100 yards saw Affirmed manage to get up again, winning by the smallest of margins as they crossed the line together. It was an incredible race and a fitting way for Affirmed to tie up the Triple Crown.

2007

Before 2007, only two fillies had won the Belmont Stakes, but it was clear after a dominant victory in the Kentucky Oaks that Rags to Riches was something special. Things didn’t look good when she stumbled at the start, but she soon recovered, and it would eventually become a head-to-head with Preakness Stakes winner Curlin as they entered the stretch. Curlin was on the inside and Rags to Riches was on the outside. The filly managed to get her head in front and, in a close finish, would run out the victor.

More racing events

Belmont Stakes FAQ

When is the Belmont Stakes?

The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Post time will be around 7 p.m. ET.

How many horses run in the race?

There is an upper limit of 12 horses in the Belmont Stakes, although it’s unusual to find a full field. In 2020, for example, there were just 10 horses in the race, and there were 11 in 2017. In 1973, Secretariat faced four rivals in the Belmont Stakes. This lower limit means that the Belmont Stakes is potentially the best of the Triple Crown races in terms of quality from top to bottom.

How much does the winner of the Belmont Stakes receive?

In 2024, the total purse was $2 million, with $1.2 million going to first place.

How much are Belmont Stakes tickets?

There are several levels at which you can buy tickets for the Belmont Stakes. At the top end of the spectrum are a variety of ticket packages ensuring entry into the Platinum, Gold and Bronze clubhouses, as well as the Garden Terrace and Champagne Room. Each of these offers hospitality, too, with prices ranging from $699 to $1,299. At this premium level, box seating is also available starting at $425.

Visitors to Belmont can gain general admission starting at $80, which includes a wristband for four 12-ounce beers and water, and a trackside view of the final turn. The GA crowd can also enjoy food trucks and a live DJ. Reserved seating starts at $70. It offers views of the finish line, with access to the backyard entertainment and paddock views.

What is the fastest time at the Belmont Stakes?

Secretariat set the fastest time in the history of the race in 1973: exactly 2:24 (timing in this era was divided into fifths of a second). No other horse in the history of the race (at 1.5 miles) has run below 2:26. The fastest winner in the 21st century was Point Given in 2001, with a time of 2:26.56.

Which jockeys and trainers have the most Belmont Stakes wins?

Jim McLaughlin and Eddie Arcaro are the all-time winningest jockeys at the Belmont Stakes, with six victories each. James G. Rowe Sr. is the record-holder for trainers with eight victories between 1893 and 1913.