Belmont Stakes 2025: A Clash of Derby Titans
The Belmont Stakes is poised to showcase a thrilling rematch this Saturday in New York, featuring the top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby. This race marks the conclusion of horse racing's prestigious Triple Crown for 2025.
Five weeks after Sovereignty triumphed at the Derby, edging out Journalism and Baeza, these three contenders will compete among eight horses in the final leg of the Triple Crown series, which includes the Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont. Notably, Sovereignty's team opted to bypass the Preakness to focus on this race, ensuring that no horse will claim the Triple Crown this year.
Journalism, who clinched victory at the Preakness two weeks post-Derby, enters as the morning-line favorite for the Belmont with odds set at 8-5. As betting progresses leading up to the race, these odds are expected to fluctuate before the anticipated post time of 7:04 p.m. EDT. Below is a list of all horses participating in the Belmont, organized by their assigned numbers and morning-line odds:
This year's Belmont will cover a distance of 1 1/4 miles, aligning it with the Derby's length rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles. This adjustment is due to the race being temporarily hosted at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, approximately 45 minutes north of Albany.
"It's unfortunate that the Belmont isn't a mile-and-a-half," remarked Heart of Honor's trainer Jamie Osborne following the Preakness. The brown colt had a rocky start but managed to pass four horses, finishing fifth in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, the shortest race in the Triple Crown series.
Next year, the Belmont is expected to return to its traditional home at Belmont Park on Long Island after a significant redevelopment project concludes.

In recent years, winning the Triple Crown has become increasingly rare; only two horses have achieved this feat in the last decade—American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Winning just the Preakness and Belmont has become somewhat of a rarity as well, with Afleet Alex being the last to do so in 2005 after finishing third at the Derby.
At the Preakness, Journalism surged down the stretch to secure a half-length victory over Gosger at Pimlico Race Course. The bay colt was favored for both the Preakness and Derby, boasting four consecutive wins in California leading up to these races, including triumphs at the Santa Anita Derby and San Felipe Stakes.
Jockey Umberto Rispoli, who rode Journalism through those victories as well as at both the Preakness and Derby, will again take the reins for the Belmont. Trainer Michael McCarthy has previously entered only one horse in this race—Rombauer, who finished third in 2021.
Sovereignty, with morning-line odds of 2-1, aims for a rare accomplishment: winning both the Derby and Belmont. The last horse to achieve this was Thunder Gulch in 1995 after placing third at the Preakness.
Despite skipping the Preakness, Sovereignty remained in the spotlight when jockey Junior Alvarado faced a $62,000 fine and a two-day suspension for excessive use of his riding crop during the Derby. Alvarado is currently appealing this decision.
On Saturday, Alvarado will ride Sovereignty for his fourth Belmont mount. Last year, he was aboard Resilience, who finished tenth under trainer Bill Mott. Mott has previously trained a Belmont winner—Drosselmeyer in 2010.

Sovereignty enters this race following a second-place finish at March's Florida Derby and victories at both the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Baeza initially did not draw into the Derby but entered when Rodriguez was scratched two days prior. He started from an outside post and finished third behind Journalism by a neck. Prior to that, Baeza placed second at the Santa Anita Derby, again behind Journalism.
With morning-line odds of 4-1 for the Belmont, Baeza will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who also rode him in the Derby. Prat has participated in four consecutive Belmonts, finishing second aboard Hot Rod Charlie in 2021. Trainer John Shirreffs has previously entered three horses in this race, with Gormley finishing fourth in 2017.
Rodriguez was scratched from the Derby due to what co-owner Tom Ryan described as a "small but slightly sensitive foot bruise." Trainer Bob Baffert confirmed that Rodriguez has recovered and is performing well after winning the Wood Memorial Stakes in April.
Baffert has trained three Belmont winners: American Pharoah, Justify, and Point Given, who won by an impressive 12 1/2 lengths in 2001. With morning-line odds of 6-1, Rodriguez will be ridden by Mike Smith, who seeks his fourth Belmont victory.
Hill Road enters with morning-line odds of 10-1 after winning last month's Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct and finishing third in both the Tampa Bay Derby and Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Hill Road as he aims for his third Belmont win; he last won aboard Mo Donegal in 2022. This will be trainer Chad Brown's fifth entry into the Belmont as he seeks his first win after coming close with Sierra Leone and Gronkowski.
Crudo, co-owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, has morning-line odds of 15-1. The bay colt won the Sir Barton Stakes on Preakness day and represents trainer Todd Pletcher's opportunity for a fifth Belmont win. John Velazquez will ride Crudo as he pursues his third victory in this race.
Pletcher's second entry is Uncaged, who won at Saratoga and Aqueduct but finished sixth at Peter Pan. With morning-line odds of 30-1, Uncaged will be ridden by Luis Saez, who won last year with Dornoch and previously with Essential Quality.
Heart of Honor also holds morning-line odds of 30-1. Trainer Saffie Osborne could make history as the first woman to win a Triple Crown race since Julie Krone's victory in 1993. After finishing fifth at the Preakness, Heart of Honor also competed internationally, placing second at April's UAE Derby.