Well race fans, we're fresh off a nice long-shot winner at The Preakness back in May. Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas's Seize the Grey shocked a lot of horse racing experts by turning in a historic wire-to-wire victory at Pimlico.
Readers who got in early cashed a juicy 17 to 1 ticket on the young colt. We'll try to repeat that performance to finish off the Triple Crown season in style. Check out our betting preview for the 2024 Belmont Stakes below!
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The running of the 2024 Belmont Stakes will be a little odd. The historic track in Belmont Park is undergoing renovations, so this year's and next year's "third jewel of the Triple Crown" will be ran at Saratoga Racecourse.
Another strange caveat is that this year's field will run on a 1-1/4 mile track instead of the usual 1-1/2 mile track. That may not sound like a big switch, but it could give a small edge to horses that rely more on speed than endurance on Saturday.
Sierra Leone let me down in the Kentucky Derby, but I still believe he's the best overall horse in this field. All World trainer Chad Brown is turning the reigns over to a new jockey, Flavien Prat, for this race.
Why the sudden change from Tyler Gaffalione? While some skeptics believe it's because Gaffalione disobeyed some orders during the Kentucky Derby, Brown has been adamant that he's simply wanting to try something different.
Regardless of the reason, there is no denying Sierra Leone's sheer ability. He's won 3 of his 5 races and placed as runner-up in the other 2 by a nose in each. With a new rider and a new bit, look for Sierra Leone to get into the winner's circle on Saturday night!
Y'all know that I love to mix in a long shot or two to add a little more excitement to my cards. That's just what I'm doing here with Resilience. This horse was kind of a disappointment in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished in 6th place.
That being said, I'm betting (pun intended) that Bill Mott has made great strides with this horse since that race. I also think that the No. 2 post position is a much better draw for Resilience than he had at Churchill Downs.
The only real concern with Resilience is his lack of top-end speed. This horse did win the Wood Memorial back in April, but he has lost to Sierra Leone in the past. That's the main reason we're only putting a third of a unit on him.
How about a nice little sleeper pick to finish off our card for the Belmont Stakes? While Todd Pletcher's "other" horse, Mindframe, is getting most of the pub, don't count out Antiquarian. He's coming off a victory at the Peter Pan Stakes just three weeks ago.
Can Antiquarian become just the 9th horse in history to win the Belmont Stakes after bagging the Peter Pan? It's certainly possible! This Centennial Farms-owned colt has racked up 2 wins in only 4 career starts, so he definitely has potential.
Although Antiquarian is a long shot, I love the track record of his trainer, Todd Pletcher. He has 4 Belmont Stakes titles to his credit, so we simply cannot underestimate any of his horses. Take Antiquarian for a small sprinkle on Saturday evening!