There won’t be a Triple Crown winner this year. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike opted not to run at the Preakness Stakes, and Early Voting ended up taking down the second leg of the Triple Crown. Rich Strike will run at the Belmont Stakes and is among the favorites, but Early Voting opted not to take part in this race. Epicenter also decided not to run in the Belmont Stakes after second place finishes at both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, avoiding the bittersweet Triple Crown of Place.
The 2022 Belmont Stakes will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. There are races throughout the day, and NBC will start to broadcast the festivities at 2:30 p.m. ET. The post time for the Kentucky Derby is expected to occur just before 7 p.m. ET.
Belmont Stakes Field
Only eight horses will be taking part in the Belmont Stakes this year as many of the horses that ran at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes opted out of this race. Interestingly, the most popular pick to win the Belmont Stakes is a horse that didn’t run in either of the Triple Crown races.
We The People won the Peter Pan Stakes here last month, but he didn’t participate in either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes after a disappointing seventh place finish at the Arkansas Derby in early April. We The People was excellent in his win at the Peter Pan Stakes though, leading the race from start to finish and eventually crossing the finish line more than 10 strokes ahead of every other horse.
Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike is among the top contenders to win the Belmont Stakes. Rich Strike had one of the most insane runs to the wire you will ever see at Churchill Downs last month, but he was a marginal horse before that dazzling spectacle. He didn’t finish better than third in four previous Stakes Races, so it’s hard to have much faith in him in this race, although he clearly has the stamina.
The other horse that many pundits are picking to win the Belmont Stakes is Mo Donegal. The Todd Pletcher trained horse won the Remsen Stakes and the Wood Memorial Stakes, but he finished in fifth place at the Kentucky Derby. However, Mo Donegal’s speed figures have been solid, and he surpassed 100 at both the Wood Memorial and the Kentucky Derby.
It will be interesting to see how Creative Minister fares at the Belmont Stakes. He only won his maiden race two months ago, but he has been the buzz of the horse racing community since posting a 108 speed figure at a claiming race at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Creative Minister earned a third-place finish at the Preakness Stakes, and he will be the only horse adhering to the traditional Triple Crown schedule.
The longshots to win the Belmont Stakes are Skippylongstocking and Golden Glider. Skippylongstocking placed third at the Wood Memorial Stakes, but he has failed to hit the board in his other three Stakes Races. Meanwhile, Golden Glider just missed the board at three Stakes Races in the run up to Triple Crown season and finished a distant second to We The People at the Peter Pan Stakes.
