This past Saturday, Chad Brown trained Early Voting won the Belmont Stakes. Brown has said the Triple Crown race winner will skip the Test of Champions and instead point to the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August. With Early Voting’s exit, and a non-committal from Epicenter’s camp, we’re left with eight runners. Check out the early Belmont Stakes list along with an analysis so you can start planning your bets against the Belmont Stakes Odds. 

Early Look at the Potential Belmont Stakes Field | Horse Racing Odds & Picks

2022 Belmont Stakes

• When: June 11, 2022
• Where: Belmont Park, Elmont, NY
• TV / Streaming: NBC / Peacock
• Distance / Surface: 1 ½ miles over dirt

2022 Belmont Stakes Field

• Rich Strike
• Mo Donegal
• Creative Minister
• Skippylongstocking
• Barber Road
• Nest
• Ethereal Road
• We the People

Rich Strike will go the of the chalk, but . . .

The Kentucky Derby winner requires a front runner that will post fast fractions. Rich Strike may not get the right setup for his closing kick.

Unlike the Derby, where the half mile went in a ridiculous 45 and change, the pace of the Belmont should be much slower. If we believe every second counts for a length, the pace in the Test of Champions should be close to around 48 seconds, which means a 15 lengths difference from the pace in the Belmont.

So Rich Strike could have trouble closing into a soft pace. Will a soft pace happen? Read about the likely front runner in the next section and then decide.

Rodolphe Brissett will look to steal it with We the People.

Constitution sired We the People wired the Grade 3 Peter Pan, the main prep for the Belmont Stakes, and he did it after running the first quarter mile in 23.66 seconds.

No doubt, the Brissett trainee will try similar tactics in the Test of Champions. Because Constitution is on top and a Tiznow broodmare is on the bottom, We the People should have no trouble getting the distance. 

So if no other horse challenges We the People, a victory is almost assured. Right now, if you’re looking to make an early bet, We the People is for sure the top play.

Creative Minister, Nest, and Mo Donegal should go off third, fourth, and fifth but nobody knows the order.

Todd Pletcher saddled Rags to Riches to an upset Belmont win over future hall of fame runner Curlin. Pletcher will be looking to repeat the effort on June 11 when he puts the saddle on filly Nest.

Nest, though, doesn’t have Rags to Riches’ ability. She’s a good racehorse, but she faces a potential beast in We the People and the Derby winner will have a say. 

Creative Minister will improve. However, the Belmont is a tough race and Minister ran great in the Preakness. It’s difficult seeing this one improving enough to win the Belmont. 

Mo Donegal is an x-factor. But like Rich Strike, Mo likes to make one big run. So if We the People can set soft fractions, and right now it looks like he should have the chance, Mo is in the same boat as Rich, which is why it’s impossible to know which horse among this group goes off third, fourth, or fifth. 

Skippylongstocking, Barber Road, and Ethereal road will be the longest shots on the board

Skippylongstocking, the fifth place finisher in the Preakness, Barber Road, and Ethereal Road, the Sir Barton winner on May 21, are all confirmed closers. 

All three are in the same boat as Mo Donegal and Rich Strike. The difference? Horseplayers see Barber, Skippy, and Ethereal as worse closers than Mo and Rich.

Ethereal Road did win the Sir Barton after closing on a track that was speed favoring. So of the three, Ethereal Road should attract the most action. 

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