The third and final jewel of the Triple Crown races is here and will take place with a little bit of a twist. The 156th running of the Belmont Stakes will take place today (Saturday, June 8) at 6:41 pm. Typically this race is ran at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, but due to major renovations the race has been moved to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

You may be asking yourself where the twist is. Well, traditionally the Belmont Stakes is 1.5-mile race, but because the race was moved to a different track, this year’s race will only be a 1.25-mile race, which is important and something to keep in mind when you’re betting this race.

The Belmont Stakes features the best 3-year-old horses in the world. The winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby, Mystik Dan and the winner of the 2024 Preakness Stakes, Seize the Gray will both be running in the 2024 Belmont Stakes, but neither of them are the favorites to win this race. The #9 horse, Sierra Leone is the current favorite to win the race at 9/5.

Now that we know who’s the favorite, let’s go ahead and get into my picks for the 2024 Belmont Stakes.

WINNER: Sierra Leone

I know it’s boring to pick the odds on favorite to win, but Sierra Leone is a horse that has it all. It has a great pedigree, it’s lightning fast and it runs great on all kinds of different surfaces. Not to mention Sierra Leone is trained by legendary trainer, Chad Brown, who knows Saratoga well.

Sierra Leone has three wins and two second place finishes in its last five starts. It should win this race.

ON THE BOARD: Mindframe

Mindframe is a horse who a lot of experts are really intrigued by. This horse did not race in either of the first two Triple Crown races. In fact, this will only be the third race ever for Mindframe, who did win both of its first two races by a margin of 21 1/4 lengths.

Mindframe is trained by Todd Pletcher, who is an eight-time Eclipse Award winner as trainer of the year. Pletcher has also won the Kentucky Derby twice (Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017) as well as the Belmont Stakes four times (Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013, Tapwrit in 2017 and Mo Donegal in 2022). This is a race that Pletcher knows how to win.

Mindframe is a very green horse, but it can absolutely FLY. He is also the freshest horse in this race, which does matter.

LONG SHOT: Antiquarian

Antiquarian is another horse that has been lightly ran, with only four career starts, including two first place finishes and a second place.

Antiquarian’s last race was the Peter Pan, which he won. Last year’s Belmont Stakes winner, Arcangelo also won the Peter Pan before going into the Belmont Stakes. Coincidence? Probably……but in gambling, that’s basically a sign from the gods above.

Antiquarian has a really unique running style. He is fast, but he will stalk, which I think could be perfect for this race.

I hope that the 2024 Belmont Stakes is a fantastic race that comes down to the wire. I also hope that we can win some money and really go into this weekend on a high. As always have fun, enjoy it and PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY!

The 2024 Belmont Stakes will start at 6:41 pm on FOX.