Win Big with Trifectas & More!

Unique twists mark the third and final Triple Crown race as we ready for the 156th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 8 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Bettors can begin placing wagers starting Thursday but before doing so, read below for our analysis, odds, a preview and Belmont Stakes predictions below. 

Claim FanDuel Belmont bonus of $500 or $220 (depending on state)

Registering for a FanDuel Belmont Stakes bonus means qualifying for a $500 first-bet offer ahead of the second Triple Crown race of the 2024 season. 

Note: $500 FanDuel Racing bonus is available in AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, ID, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NM, ND, OH, OR, RI, SD, VA, and WA.

If located in NY, VA, PA, IN, IL, WV or WY where you have FanDuel Sportsbook & Racing, you can claim a $220 hybrid bonus.

Due to a two-year renovation project going on at Belmont Park in Queens, this race moves upstate to Saratoga Race Course, and that dramatically changes the dynamic of this $2 million race.

The new distance of 1 1/4 miles, rather than the classic Belmont 1 1/2 miles, has lured a deep and talented field. This is the first Belmont Stakes since 2018 in which the winners of the Kentucky Derby (Mystik Dan) and Preakness Stakes (Seize The Grey) will run.

There’s also an exciting rematch between Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone after the two horses finished noses apart in the Kentucky Derby. Gamblers can measure rematches and past performances all throughout this race.

Here are the current odds as listed for the top favorites in this 10-horse field. Final betting odds become official at post time.

Weather forecasts indicate a blend of rain, showers and thundershowers passing through Saratoga from Thursday through Saturday. If the rain is heavy enough, the track listing will go from fast to good or sloppy. This will necessitate a horse-for-courses assessment.

Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Seize The Grey have all run well on off tracks. So has Resilience, the No. 2 horse, which may be a prominent stalker here.

Claim $500 or $220 FanDuel Belmont Stakes bonus for June 8

Watch track conditions on Saturday to determine whether winners are coming from the first or second pack of horses.

Bettors should remember that can enjoy one of the year’s biggest horse-racing days and accomplish important preparation at the same time, so keep all of this in mind. One more thing: Good Luck!

Here is some key information about the race: 

• Date: June 8, 2024
• Location: Saratoga Race Course (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• Length: 1 1/4 miles
• Post Time: 6:41  p.m. ET
• Broadcast: Fox, Fox Sports App, FanDuel TV
• Purse: $2 million
• READ: Early Belmont Stakes Odds

The key to this entire betting strategy will be Sierra Leone running first or second. Everything will spread from that focus. This been the most consistent horse all winter and spring and he’s due to hit the wire first in a major after just missing in the Kentucky Derby, coming from 17th to finish second by a nostril to Mystik Dan.

Sierra Leone’s stalking style is good for this race, which is loaded with speed. Should be able to make patented late move, but would be best suited to avoid running so wide. Gets a jockey change to Flavien Prat, as  trainer Chad Brown hopes for a smoother trip for his horse. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione was actually fined because he could not keep Sierra Leone from drifting into third place and bumping Forever Young during the Kentucky Derby homestretch.

Claim up to $500 FanDuel Racing Belmont bonus for Saturday’s race

What happens, if, instead of trying to make up five lengths down the lane (as usual) it’s only two? Sierra Leone is well-rested after skipping the Preakness Stakes and haveing five weeks off. 

2024 Belmont Stakes predictions: Place bets on Mystik Dan (5/1)

Hey, 5/1 seems generous on the win line for the Kentucky Derby champion. That makes the place price an attractive option, too.

Place prices in high-volume betting events like this one often provide about $1 more than you’d expect. We like him in this spot. He always runs well and could have a blistering speed duel to try and run down.

Belmont Stakes best bets: Show Bet Antiquarian (5) or Resilience (2)

To be determined by how they look in the post parade. Both have credentials. Antiquarian won the Peter Pan, which produced 2023 Belmont winner Arcangelo. Resilience captured the Wood Memorial. Should pay well.

The leap of faith here is that the frontrunners (Seize The Grey, Dornoch, Mindframe, Antiquarian and even Resilience), make the pace contentious enough that the closers can run them down. This bet has a good chance if you see a duel develop. If one horse shakes free and is running relaxed, this bet will be compromised.

This wager (costs $12 total) accounts for the possibility that the two closers get in the trifecta along with the best early speed horse. There is some hedging built into this bet. On paper, Mindframe doesn’t belong in this race. He hasn’t proven himself at a championship level and indeed ran in an undercard race for the Kentucky Derby.

But why is he second choice at 7-2? Bettors look at the Todd Pletcher-Irad Ortiz training-riding angle and believe this lightly-raced horse is about to blossom. It’s hard to simply ignore a betting trend that strong. I don’t think this race sets up for him, but have to include Mindframe in at least one ticket.

$1 Trifecta Box with Sierra Leone, Mystik Dan and Seize The Grey (9-3-1)

Might as well spend $6 to see if the Kentucky Derby winner, Kentucky Derby runner-up and Preakness champion are the best three horses in the land right now. This bet boxes Sierra Leone, Mystik Dan and Seize The Grey to finish in any order in the top three. 

This might not be available in every state, but the bet works like this: 

• Superfecta Key (9 over the 1, 10, 3, 5, 1,10,3,5, 1,10,3,5) 
• Superfecta Partial Wheel (1,10,3,5 over 9 over 1,10,3,5, 1,10,3,5)

This puts Sierra Leone first and second with Seize the Grey, Mindframe, Mystik Dan and Antiquarian in the superfecta.

This expands the ticket to include the Peter Pan winner and provides the flexibility to be wrong about one of the four supporting horses as long as the key entry, Sierra Leone, runs first or second.

Among the top undercard events are the Metropolitan Handicap and Casino Manhattan. Both are worth $1 million. Saratoga’s card, part of its weekend Racing Festival, pays purses more than $6.5 million, one of the best of the entire horse-racing season.