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All eyes will be on the Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, June 6 with the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes. Post time is 7:04 p.m. ET and while 2026 Preakness Stakes winner Napolean Solo will not be in the field, 2026 Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo does return after skipping the Preakness. Arkansas Derby winner Renegade is the 2-1 favorite in the latest Belmont Stakes 2026 odds, followed by Chief Wallabee (3-1) and Golden Tempo (9-2). Claim your exclusive TwinSpires $400 signup offer here with promo code CBSSPORTS, which is higher than what’s available to the general public:
Will the favorite be able to deliver for those interested in horse racing betting in this final leg of the Triple Crown, or will the longshots continue to steal the spotlight? Before making any 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, be sure to see the 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions and best bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Gene Menez.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI’s handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In last year’s Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. Anyone who has followed his horse racing betting advice could be way up.
Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Belmont Stakes field and revealed his picks. Go here to see them.
Claim your exclusive TwinSpires $400 signup offer here with promo code CBSSPORTS, which is higher than what’s available to the general public:
Top 2026 Belmont Stakes predictions
One of Menez’s surprising 2026 Belmont Stakes picks: The expert is avoiding Derby champ Golden Tempo (9-2). “I’m going to completely toss Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, who is unlikely to get the sweet pace setup that greatly helped him win the Derby,” Menez told SportsLine.
Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo, and she could make more history with the horse at Saratoga as she’s never trained a horse that won the Belmont Stakes. However, as Menez notes, closing from last to first is not necessarily repeatable, even if Golden Tempo did get some additional time off after not racing in the Preakness Stakes. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
Instead, Menez’s top pick is a horse who “should sit a perfect trip.” He also is high on a double-digit longshot who can “upset this field at a nice price.” Menez is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Belmont Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Belmont Stakes 2026, and which longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Belmont Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who had a $1,045 payout at last year’s Kentucky Derby.
