Top 5 Longshot Horses to Bet at the 2024 Belmont Stakes
Grant White
Host · Writer
The Wine Steward
Post Position: 4
Morning Line Odds: 15-1
Drunk women, unite! You've found your namesake horse for the 2024 Belmont Stakes. The Wine Steward is showing up in his first Grade 1 race of the season, ready to build off the tremendous start to his career.
Although this is the first top-end race of the year for The Wine Steward, he galloped against the finest competition in last year's Grade 1 Breeders Futurity. In that race, The Wine Steward came up just short of the win, finishing a close second to Locked. However, in doing so, the colt out of Paradise Farms maintained his elite speed figures and track record.
In six career races, The Wine Steward has never finished worse than second or with a speed figure below 91. Moreover, he's boosted that figure from 92-97-98 over his previous three outings.
People might shy away from The Wine Steward for several reasons, enhancing his betting appeal in a parimutuel pool. This is the value horse to key in on for the 2024 Belmont Stakes.
Seize The Grey
Post Position: 1
Morning Line Odds: 8-1
The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown goes on Sunday, with the running of the Belmont Stakes. As usual, the top three-year-old colts gather in New York, albeit this time at Saratoga Race Course, while Belmont Park is under renovation. Among this year's field is the Preakness winner, Seize The Grey, who enters Saturday's race with curiously long odds.
Potential regression and an unfavorable post position might scare bettors off Seize The Grey but don't let that stop you from adding this horse to your exotics. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Colt has speed figures above 93 in three of his past five races, including a career-best 101 last time out.
Granted, it's unlikely that Seize The Grey will match that torrid pace on Saturday, but with the inside track, he might not have to. Distance also won't be an issue as this year's iteration of the race was reduced to 1+1/4 miles to accommodate the shorter track. Seize The Grey could crash the party as a longshot again for the second straight race.
Antiquarian
Post Position: 5
Morning Line Odds: 12-1
Count us as believers in John Velazquez to extract maximum value from Antiquarian at Saratoga Race Course. The lightly-raced colt has a superb record every time he takes to the track, and Todd Pletcher is better than every other trainer in preparing his horses for the Triple Crown.
This is Antiquarian's first Triple Crown race, which is a factor in his diminished price. Still, his record speaks for itself. Antiquarian is 2-1-0 in four career races, winning two of his past three. Moreover, he's coming off the best speed figure of his career, posting a 98 at the Peter Pan in May.
Famously, Velazquez has ridden two horses to victory at the Belmont over the past 17 years. Likewise, Pletcher has trained four winners over that stretch. The last time this duo teamed up on a horse, Velazquez rode Rags to Riches to Glory in the 2007 race. Antiquarian could replicate that success on Saturday.
Dornoch
Post Position: 5
Morning Line Odds: 15-1
Dornoch was outclassed in this year's Kentucky Derby, skipping the Preakness to lick his wounds. Nevertheless, Saturday's race is shaping as a bounce-back spot for the colt.
The Kentucky Derby was Dornoch's worst race of his career. After posting at least a 94 in his four previous races, the three-year-old finished with a disastrous 81-speed figure and finishing a distant tenth. As noted, that's been the exception to an otherwise reliable rule, suggesting that Dornoch is poised for a rejuvenated ride on Saturday.
Listen to this progeny. Second-place Kentucky Derby finisher Good Magic is his sire, meaning Curlin is his grandsire, while Big Brown is his grandsire on his dam's side. Dornoch was bred to be a Triple Crown winner and could pull off the unexpected upset at the Belmont.
Resilience
Post Position: 2
Morning Line Odds: 10-1
Resilience did his best to upend the Kentucky Derby field, coming up just short and finishing sixth as a 20-1 longshot. Bookmakers have learned from their mistakes, hanging Resilience at a shorter but appealing 10-1 for Saturday's race.
Junior Alvarado will be back on the colt at Saratoga Race Course, looking to improve upon his favorable result. Thankfully, there are a few factors supporting renewed success. First, Resilience has won two of his past four races, finishing in the money in four of six. Likewise, Alvarado has a 15.8% win percentage throughout his career, jumping to 44% for win-place-show.
With impressive speed figures and an inside edge, Resilience should finish even closer to the front at the Belmont, crashing the bottom part of exotic wagers.
The Wine Steward
Post Position: 4
Morning Line Odds: 15-1
Drunk women, unite! You've found your namesake horse for the 2024 Belmont Stakes. The Wine Steward is showing up in his first Grade 1 race of the season, ready to build off the tremendous start to his career.
Although this is the first top-end race of the year for The Wine Steward, he galloped against the finest competition in last year's Grade 1 Breeders Futurity. In that race, The Wine Steward came up just short of the win, finishing a close second to Locked. However, in doing so, the colt out of Paradise Farms maintained his elite speed figures and track record.
In six career races, The Wine Steward has never finished worse than second or with a speed figure below 91. Moreover, he's boosted that figure from 92-97-98 over his previous three outings.
People might shy away from The Wine Steward for several reasons, enhancing his betting appeal in a parimutuel pool. This is the value horse to key in on for the 2024 Belmont Stakes.
Seize The Grey
Post Position: 1
Morning Line Odds: 8-1
The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown goes on Sunday, with the running of the Belmont Stakes. As usual, the top three-year-old colts gather in New York, albeit this time at Saratoga Race Course, while Belmont Park is under renovation. Among this year's field is the Preakness winner, Seize The Grey, who enters Saturday's race with curiously long odds.
Potential regression and an unfavorable post position might scare bettors off Seize The Grey but don't let that stop you from adding this horse to your exotics. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Colt has speed figures above 93 in three of his past five races, including a career-best 101 last time out.
Granted, it's unlikely that Seize The Grey will match that torrid pace on Saturday, but with the inside track, he might not have to. Distance also won't be an issue as this year's iteration of the race was reduced to 1+1/4 miles to accommodate the shorter track. Seize The Grey could crash the party as a longshot again for the second straight race.
