Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Golden Tempo returns to the Belmont Stakes after skipping the Preakness, aiming to secure another victory.
- Renegade enters as the favorite with 2-1 odds, fresh off a strong Kentucky Derby performance.
- The race at Saratoga Race Course marks the final year at this shorter track before a return to Belmont Park in 2027.
The Belmont Stakes is considered the most exciting of the three Triple Crown horse races by some, mostly because it can deliver a Triple Crown winner. That won't be the case this year, as the Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, elected to sit out the Preakness, but we should still be in for a doozy for a couple of reasons.
First, Golden Tempo will return to run at the Belmont Stakes, so it'll be interesting to see if another win is in order. Second, the race is once again set to be run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, for the last time before returning back to Belmont Park in 2027. The track at Saratoga is a little shorter than at Belmont, so it'll be interesting to see if that impacts anything.
Who won the 2026 Belmont Stakes? Full finishing order
Place | Horse |
|---|---|
Winner | Golden Tempo |
2 | Commandment |
3 | Renegade |
4 | Chief Wallabee |
5 | Emerging Market |
6 | Growth Equity |
7 | Vitruvian Man |
8 | Ottinho |
9 | Powershift |
Golden Tempo may not have won the triple crown, but he won his second of the triple crown races by outpacing Commandment.
Who was favored to win the 2026 Belmont Stakes?
Renegade entered the Belmont Stakes as the favorite with 2-1 odds per ESPN, but it was pretty close, as Chief Wallabee was given 3-1 odds and Golden Tempo had 9-2 odds. Even Commandment and Emerging Market had 6-1 odds, respectively. Renegade was the favorite, but the race was always expected to be close.
The confidence in Renegade made sense. Despite starting the Kentucky Derby at the No. 1 position, a spot widely considered to be the worst for that race, Renegade finished just a neck behind Golden Tempo, and prior to that race, had never finished lower than first place in any race since 2025. With a smaller field and a better starting spot, it made sense for Renegade to be a popular pick.
Who won the 2025 Belmont Stakes?
The 2025 Belmont Stakes was nothing short of electric. Rodriguez jumped out to the early lead, but Journalism took the lead heading into the final turn. Just when it looked like Journalism was going to win, Sovereignty, in an insane push in the race's final stretch, passed Journalism and won the Belmont.
This was particularly impressive because Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby in a similar fashion. Had Sovereignty run in the Preakness, he might've won the Triple Crown, the ultimate horse racing feat.
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