It's not often that the Belmont Stakes comes around in horse racing and there is a ton of excitement despite there not being a chance for fans to witness a Triple Crown winner. However, with a big-time, high-profile clash between Journalism, the favorite according to betting odds coming into the race, and Sovereignty, the second favorite, fans were dialed to watch what was shaping up to be a thrilling 2025 Belmont Stakes at the famed Saratoga Race Course.
More than just the drama between the winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, though, the 2025 Belmont Stakes is the last horse race of this magnitued of the year, kicking off the roughly one-month span in which the three races in the Triple Crown are run. That also means that it's the time for sports bettors to make their last efforts to win big. Whether that means taking a moneyline winner, getting a nice hit on a win-place-show bet, or hitting the gold mine on an exacta, trifecta or superfecta, the Belmont Stakes offered a chance to prosper.
So, with the race in the rearview, how much money could bettors have made, specifically if they hit a trifecta or superfecta? Let's break down all of the Belmont Stakes betting payouts and more.
Belmont Stakes betting payouts for trifecta, superfecta and more
With Sovereignty winning the 2025 Belmont Stakes, followed by Journalism, Baeza and Rodriguez in order, let's take a look at what ticket you needed and what the betting payouts will be for the race.
Bet Type | Results | Betting Payout |
|---|---|---|
Exacta | 2-7 | $6.60 |
Trifecta | 2-7-6 | $13.80 |
Superfecta | 2-7-6-3 | $40.50 |
As all of the favorites crossed the finish line together, a $1 exacta only pays out $6.60 and a $1 trifecta only pays out just $13.80. However, Rodriguez boosted the odds a bit for the superfecta, which a $1 bet would've come in at $40.50.
Belmont Stakes betting payouts for Win-Place-Show
Of course, even if you didn't win big on a superfecta, you may have still hit a win-place-show bet, which means first, second or third place finishes with decreasing odds. Here's what those payouts would've looked like.
Horse | Win | Place | Show |
|---|---|---|---|
Sovereignty | $7 | $3.20 | $2.30 |
Journalism | n/a | $3.20 | $2.30 |
Baeza | n/a | n/a | $2.60 |
With the three favorites at post time finishing 1-2-3 in the race, it's of no surprise that the payouts for the win-place-show bets aren't all that lucrative. Even still, it's a great race overall with some money to be made.
What is an exacta, trifecta and superfecta?
Betting on horse racing and including things like a trifecta bet are unique to the sport itself. As such, some people might be wondering what these bets actually mean.
- Exacta - An exacta bet is a two-leg bet. You must pick the winner and runner-up in the correct finishing order.
- Trifecta - A trifecta bet is a three-leg wager that has the same premise, except bettors must correctly predict the first three finishers in the correct order in order to win.
- Superfecta - The superfecta bet is the most lucrative, a four-leg bet that, like the others in this category, requires the top four finishers to be correctly predicted in order for a bettor to win.
Much like a parlay, which bettors in other sports are familiar with, the payouts for each type of bet increase with the each leg that's added.
Who was the favorite at the 2025 Belmont Stakes?
Journalism (2-1), as mentioned, entered the 2025 Belmont Stakes as the favorite. That had been the case in the previous two Triple Crown races as well given the pedigree of the thoroughbred, but the horse only made good on it at the Preakness Stakes after being clipped by Sovereignty (among others) in early May at the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty, meanwhile, closed as the second favorite for this race not far behind at 5-2 odds.
Heart of Honor, running from the No. 8 post, had the longest odds in the field at 20-1 at post time.