Betting the 2025 Belmont Stakes: How to bet, who will win - ESPN

It looks like a three-horse race in the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

The Belmont Stakes will feature a rare Triple Crown rematch of this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners. Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will take on Preakness winner Journalism after Sovereignty's trainer elected to skip the Preakness Stakes three weeks ago. Baeza, who ran third in the Kentucky Derby and also skipped the Preakness, will be back for another try against both horses.

Only eight horses are entered in the race, which will be run at 1 1/4th miles at Saratoga Race Course. This is the second straight year the race will be run at Saratoga at a shorter distance. Belmont Park, which has hosted almost every edition of the race since 1905, is currently undergoing renovations.

While the main focus will be on the 1-2-3 finishers of the Kentucky Derby, Rodriguez, a newcomer to the Triple Crown rail, will also draw some attention.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith, Rodriguez was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby due to a foot issue. Baffert told the Daily Racing Form that he also bypassed the Preakness because Rodriguez needed more prep time after the issue was resolved.

If either Journalism or Sovereignty wins, there will be an opportunity for a Kentucky Derby and Belmont double, or Preakness and Belmont double. Eleven horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, while 18 horses have won the Preakness and Belmont, the last horse being Afleet Alex, who came in third in the 2005 Kentucky Derby but then won the next two races.

by Katherine Terrell

A small field and a heavy favorite like Journalism won't provide a great return, so the main focus of this betting strategy will be to look for value, if that's