The 2022 Belmont Stakes will mark the return to competition of Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who bypassed the Preakness. His connections wanted to keep him on a schedule of racing every five to six weeks, but after his massive upset in the Derby as an 80-1 underdog, Rich Strike won’t be nearly as big of a long shot in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes 2022. In fact, he’s the third-largest favorite in the latest 2022 Belmont Stakes odds at 7-2. Rich Strike trails Peter Pan Stakes winner We the People (2-1) and Wood Memorial winner Mo Donegal (5-2) in the 2022 Belmont Stakes field. Long shots include Skippylongstocking and Golden Glider, who are both 20-1. With so much to consider while making your 2022 Belmont Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
The Third Jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes is the only leg named after a person. The Kentucky Derby is named after its location, while the Preakness is named after a horse named Preakness, who won the first race at Pimlico Race Course. The Belmont Stakes is named after August Belmont Sr., a German-American politician who was also a horse breeder and owner. August Belmont financed the inaugural Belmont Stakes in 1867. Two years later, his horse, Fenian, won the third Belmont Stakes. His son, August Jr., and great-grandson, August IV, would later win Belmont Stakes races as owners as well.
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 expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2022 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 2022 having nailed the winner of this race three of the last four years. He hit the exacta, trifecta, and superfecta in last year’s Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality. Two years ago, 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.
He’s coming off a major heater in 2020: At one point, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world. He has hit 10 of the last 14 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 14 years. He’s also called nine of the last 18 Preakness winners, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset, and nailed this year’s Preakness trifecta. Anyone who has followed him is up huge. Now, he’s sharing all of his 2022 Belmont Stakes bets here.
Top 2022 Belmont Stakes expert picks
Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Jody Demling:
Belmont Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $15.00 at the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie.
Belmont Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $21.70 at the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie and Rombauer.
Belmont Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $60.70 at the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie, Rombauer and Known Agenda.
While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of We the People (2-1) and Mo Donegal (5-2), he plans to hold tickets with Creative Minister (6-1) and Nest (8-1), as well as a double-digit underdog who could really spice up the payouts. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2022 Belmont Stakes bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Belmont Stakes 2022. 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 2022 Belmont Stakes.
