2022 Belmont Stakes Best Bets: Can Barber Road Pull the Upset?

2022 Belmont Stakes Best Bets: Can Barber Road Pull the Upset?

The 154th edition of the Belmont Stakes is set to go off just before 7 PM EST on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY for what should be a great finish to this year’s Triple Crown. Following Rich Strike’s historic 80-1 win at the Kentucky Derby, he sat out the Preakness, which was won by Early Voting. 

While Early Voting has decided to sit this one out, Rich Strike is back in the field (7-2), though just the third shortest odds beat out by We The People (2-1) and Mo Donegal (5-2). Will Rich Strike snag his second leg of the Triple Crown or will another longshot rise to the occasion? Let’s take a closer look and dive into my prediction, best bets, and the odds for the 2022 Belmont Stakes.

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2022 Belmont Stakes Favorites (10/1 or Less)

Mo Donegal (5-2) (Bet $200 to win $500)

Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and jockeyed by the legend Irad Ortiz Jr., Mo Donegal has arguably the best team behind him in all of horse racing. Starting with Pletcher, the trainer has won three previous Belmont Stakes and knows this track as well as any trainer on earth winning as recently as 2017 (Tapwrit). 

And then there’s Ortiz Jr.

As far as winning is concerned, Ortiz Jr. has ranked No. 1 every year since 2017, as well as been in the top three in earnings every year since 2013. Long established as one of the best jockeys in the sport at just 29 years old, Ortiz Jr. won the Belmont Stakes in 2016 and also has the track record to bring Mo Donegal home in this one. 

As for the horse himself, prior to finishing fifth at the Kentucky Derby after drawing the dreaded No. 1 gate, Mo Donegal had finished top three in all five career races, including three outright wins. While We The People is worthy of getting the 2-1 odds, I think we’re getting some value here in a horse that has all the stuff to find the winners circle comes Saturday evening in Elmont. 

2022 Belmont Stakes Longshots (10/1 or More)

Barber Road (+1200) (Bet $100 to win $1200)

Having shown in seven of his nine career starters, Barber Road comes into this race as a live underdog at more than 10-1 odds. In the lead-up to the 2022 Kentucky Derby, Barber Road had shown in three straight races, finishing as high as No. 2 in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. In fact, in his nine career races, Barber Road has shown (third or higher), in seven of them, with his debut race (fourth) being the only race outside of the Kentucky Derby in which he hasn't. 

Jockeyed by Joel Rosario, Rosario is a three-time Triple Crown race winner, including the Belmont Stakes in 2014 and 2019. Despite finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby, this three-year-old colt picked up invaluable experience in running one of the sport’s biggest races, and I think we see that carry over to this race in a big way. 

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