The 2025 Belmont Stakes will be held on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course at 7:04 p.m. ET. For the second year in a row, the “Test of Champion” will look different than normal. The race will be 1 1/4 miles instead of the traditional 1 1/2 because Belmont Park is undergoing renovations and the track at Saratoga is shorter. However, the 157th Belmont Stakes will still live up to its nickname with the winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes drawing into the field during Monday’s 2025 Belmont Stakes post draw. Sovereignty beat Journalism at Churchill Downs, but bypassed the Preakness altogether, which Journalism went on to win. However, Journalism is the 8-5 favorite among the 2025 Belmont Stakes horses after erasing a five-length deficit in the final eighth-mile to win at Pimlico, while Sovereignty is 2-1 in the 2025 Belmont Stakes odds. Before making any 2025 Belmont Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers at the Kentucky Derby in the correct order and then nailed the exacta in this year’s Preakness Stakes. He also predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last seven years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. Anyone who has followed him on those picks is up huge and first-time users can boost their bankroll with the latest FanDuel Racing promo code and TwinSpires promo code. You can also check out the latest Belmont Stakes betting apps and Belmont Stakes betting promos before deciding how to bet the 2025 Belmont Stakes.
Now, with the 2025 Belmont Stakes around the corner, Demling is sharing his 2025 Belmont Stakes betting picks and 2025 Belmont Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2025 Belmont Stakes predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2025 Belmont Stakes picks: He isn’t picking Sovereignty or Journalism to win, even though they each won a leg of this year’s Triple Crown and are the two favorites. These two champions will be at opposite ends of the starting gate, with Journalism drawing the No. 7 post and Sovereignty drawing No. 2. They’ve looked like the two best horses in this three-year-old crop thus far, but they’ve both shown cracks throughout their racing career as well.
Sovereignty has three wins in six career starts, while Journalism has five victories in his seven-race career and most notably came up short in sprint down the stretch against Sovereignty at Churchill Downs. Now, he’ll be competing in his third race in five weeks and is the only horse in the 2025 Belmont Stakes field attempting that feat. Meanwhile, both horses will have accomplished newcomers to contend with, as Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez (6-1) and Peter Pan Stakes (a Belmont prep race) winner Hill Road (10-1) enter the fray. See which other 2025 Belmont Stakes horses to target at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
Demling’s top pick is an underdog who could be “the best value in the race.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2025 Belmont Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Belmont Stakes 2025, and which value longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Belmont Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who nailed the top three Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order and the Preakness Stakes exacta.