The Triple Crown season comes to an end on Saturday when the 2021 Belmont Stakes gets underway from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Post time for the Belmont Stakes 2021 is at 6:49 p.m. ET. The Belmont Stakes is often referred to as "Test of the Champion," because the track at Belmont Park is 1 1/2 miles long, making it the longest of the three Triple Crown races. Eight horses are in the 2021 Belmont Stakes field, including Essential Quality, who has won five of his last six races.
However, Essential Quality is coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Kentucky Derby in his last start. Despite the setback at Churchill Downs, Essential Quality is being listed as the 2-1 favorite in the latest 2021 Belmont Stakes odds. Will he bounce back and claim victory on Saturday, or should you back another horse like Rombauer (3-1), Hot Rod Charlie (7-2) or Rock Your World (9-2)? With so much to consider before Saturday's race, a little expert help can go a long way before making your 2021 Belmont Stakes picks.
Drawing the inside post in some horse races can be viewed as a bad thing. However, post position No. 1 has produced 24 winners at the Belmont Stakes, the most of any post at Belmont Park. Bourbonic, a 15-1 long shot, drew the No. 1 post position for Saturday's 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes.
In addition to drawing a favorable post position, jockeys are also a major factor in determining which horse crosses the finish line first. James McLaughlin and Eddie Arcaro are the only two jockeys to have won the Belmont Stakes six times. McLaughlin is the only rider in Belmont Stakes history to win three consecutive races on two different occasions.
Given all the history, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta, and superfecta bets in a Belmont Stakes like this, and SportsLine's Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2021 Belmont Stakes picks possible.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the Belmont Stakes 2021 after a major heater in 2020: At one point last year, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.
At last year's Belmont, Demling said Tiz the Law was clearly the class of the field, and Barclay Tagg's horse pulled away for a convincing 3 3/4-length victory. In 2018, he was all over Justify, jockey Mike Smith, and trainer Bob Baffert to make horse racing history at Belmont Park. The result: Justify became just the 13th Triple Crown winner ever, and anyone who followed Demling's lead cashed in too.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world. He has hit nine of the last 13 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but four times in the last 13 years. He's also called nine of the last 17 Preakness winners, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset. Anyone who has followed him is up huge. Now, he's sharing all of his 2021 Belmont Stakes bets here.
Top 2021 Belmont Stakes expert picks
Here's a refresher on how to bet the Belmont 2021 from SportsLine's Jody Demling:
Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $19.60 at the 2020 Belmont Stakes with Tiz the Law and Dr. Post.
Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $0.50 trifecta returned $49.75 at the 2020 Belmont Stakes with Tiz the Law, Dr. Post and Max Player.
Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $0.10 superfecta returned $55.65 at the 2020 Belmont Stakes with Tiz the Law, Dr. Post, Max Player and Pneumatic.
While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of Essential Quality (2-1), he plans to hold tickets with Hot Rod Charlie (7-2), Rock Your World (9-2) and one of the biggest long shots in the entire field. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2021 Belmont Stakes bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Belmont Stakes 2021. He's sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling's picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes.
