It is almost time of the year for all horse racing enthusiasts as the Belmont Stakes is about to happen. And there are many speculations about who got to lead the race this year as the Belmont Stakes will happen this upcoming June. The entries are still not yet official, but there are already potential contenders that earn favor by many bettors as early as now.
In the 150-year race history of Belmont Stakes, there have been many contenders that were marked memorable by many bettors. Most notably, the ones that have already raced in either or both of the previous stakes like the Preakness Steak and the Kentucky Derby.
Before the race begins any month from now, let’s get to know first the previous winners of Belmont Stakes and take a sneak peek of this years’ Belmont picks potential leaders.
Belmont Stakes Previous Winners
It has already been 150 years since Belmont Stakes started, and there have been many winners up to date. But only a few leave a mark from many of the enthusiasts. Not just because they have won the race, but also they have amazing achievements that give them an edge compared to other contenders.
Let us start with the fillies…
Ruthless (1867)
Though there are only a few fillies that triumphed the race, the first filly that conquered the field is Ruthless. Ruthless plays with the other three fillies in the field, and even with her capacity weight of 107 pounds, she leads the race, and running behind her is DeCourcey that placed second.
There are only 23 fillies that played in the 150 race history of Belmont Stakes, and next to Ruthless, there are only two which triumphed in the field. Namely, Tanya in 1905 and Rags to Riches in the year 2007.
There are only a few winners that lead the race with flying colors, namely:
- 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)
All these previous winners of Belmont Stakes hold an astounding record in completing the famed Triple Crown of US horse racing. This means that they have raced and won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes consecutively.
Sir Barton, in the year 1919, won the first Triple Crown when the journalists first used the term, but not until Gallant Fox had again won the Triple Crown in the year 1930, and it has been recognized as an official term to use.
Winning the Triple Crown was succeeded by Omaha, Gallant Fox’s very own son in 1935, followed by War Admiral in 1937. There has been a good record of winning the Triple Crown over the years, just when Citation won the race in the year 1948, it eventually stopped for 25 years.
Not until in the year 1973 when Secretariat won the Triple Crown breaking the long years of silence of winning the prestigious race title. Also, he set a record-breaking victory in the Belmont Stakes, winning the race by 31 lengths and is regarded as the greatest race of all time.
The recent winners of the Triple Crown and the only living race title holders are American Pharaoh in the year 2015 and Justify the year 2018. Sir Winston, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2019 is not a Triple Crown holder.
Belmont Stakes 2020
The final entries of the Belmont Stakes 2020 are not yet official, but there are already candidates that are most likely to lead the race when looking at the Belmont Stakes odds result.
Though this is just only a preliminary input by many horse racing analysts and enthusiasts, many bettors are already looking at the odds and their likelihood to win.
Here are the preliminary lineups for the Belmont Stakes and their respective jockeys and current odds.
- Tacticus | Jose Ortiz | 8/5
- War of Will | Tyler Gaffalione | 2/1
- Everfast | Luis Saez | 8/1
- Spinoff | Javier Castellano | 9/1
- Plus Que Parfait | TBA | 10/1
- Global Campaign | TBA | 10/1
- Master Fencer | Julien Leparoux | 11/1
- Intrepid Heart | John Velazquez | 12/1
- Tax | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 16/1
- Sir Winston | Joel Rosario | 16/1
- Bourbon War | Mike Smith | 16/1
- Joevia | Jose Lezcano | 33/1
Sir Winston is in the entry as the Belmont Stakes 2019 previous winner, but it is noted that he hasn’t won the last races that form the Triple Crown. Even the two previous Triple Crown races might show a better insight for the Belmont Stakes potential favorites, horses that are not featured also have an edge in winning the so-called The Championship Track.
Takeaway
Belmont Stakes is considered as the final track where winning horses from different tracks and races gets a final heads-on for a true Test of the Champion. As there are many possibilities when you see the current odds, it will only be proven during the race day who’s going to lead and win the race. So better watch out this coming June and carefully place your bet on your favorite entry.
