2020 Belmont Stakes Betting Odds Preview

The race for the Triple Crown begins a little differently this year, as the Belmont Stakes makes up the first leg for the first time ever.

The Belmont is typically the third race in the Triple Crown, but nothing in the sports world is typical this year thanks to COVID-19. Instead the Belmont will be raced first and at a shorter distance. In previous years the Belmont has always been a 1½-mile race at Belmont Park. This year it will only be 1 1/8 miles.

Judging by the Belmont Stakes odds at Bovada Sportsbook, it may not be much of a race. Tiz the Law is a heavy -135 favorite to win on Saturday. The closest challenger according to Bovada is Tap it to Win at +600.

Tiz the Law heavy favorite in Belmont Stakes

Tiz the Law has won three of the four races he has run. That includes wins in the Florida Derby, Holy Bull Stakes and Champagne Stakes. Tiz the Law is trained by Barclay Tagg, who sent Funny Cide to the winner’s circle at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003 but has never had a winner in the Belmont. Tiz the Law has drawn the No. 8 post, which hasn’t been a great starting post, having housed only five previous Belmont winners.

Tap it to Win is trained by Mark Casse, who also trained last year’s Belmont winner Sir Winston. Tap it to Win’s last race was an allowance race at Belmont Park earlier this month that he won by five lengths at a distance of 1 1/16 miles. Tap it to Win came up lucky in the post position draw, drawing the No. 1 post which has housed the most Belmont winners in history.

Following Tiz the Law and Tap it to Win on the odds list at Bovada are Sole Volante and Dr. Post, both at +750.

Sole Volante will start from No. 2 post position

Sole Volante has finished first in four of his six career races. That includes winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes. He’ll break from the No. 2 post position, which has housed 11 Belmont winners.

Dr. Post is one of two horses in the field trained by Todd Pletcher. The other is Farmington Road, a +2200 underdog. Dr. Post has won his last two races, including a win in the Unbridled Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream. Pletcher has trained three previous Belmont winners, with his last being Tapwrit in 2017.

The odds for the rest of the 10-horse field in this year’s Belmont are Max Player (+1600), Pneumatic (+1600), Modernist (+2200), Fore Left (+4000) and Jungle Runner (+5000).