| 2026 Belmont Stakes Odds | ||
| Official post positions set following the post-position draw on Monday, June 1, 2026. | ||
| PP | Horse / Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitruvian ManAntonio Fresu · D. O'Neill | 30/1 |
| 2 | PowershiftLuis Saez · T. Pletcher | 12/1 |
| 3 | Chief WallabeeJunior Alvarado · W. Mott | 3/1 |
| 4 | RenegadeIrad Ortiz Jr. · T. Pletcher | 2/1 |
| 5 | OttinhoDylan Davis · C. Brown | 20/1 |
| 6 | Growth EquityManny Franco · C. Brown | 12/1 |
| 7 | CommandmentJohn Velazquez · B. Cox | 6/1 |
| 8 | Emerging MarketFlavien Prat · C. Brown | 6/1 |
| 9 | Golden TempoJose Ortiz · C. DeVaux | 9/2 |
Last Updated on 06/01/2026
Commandment entered the Kentucky Derby on a four-race winning streak, the last two in graded stakes. He had shown the ability to adjust to various pace setups and the courage to fight to the finish. He shook off a bump to take the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) by a neck and got up in the final jump to take the Florida Derby (G1) by a nose over The Puma after he looked beaten in the midstretch. Chief Wallabee, who was only half a length farther back in third, also gave an impressive performance.
The thrilling three-way finish in Gulfstream Park's signature prep convinced many handicappers that Florida's marquee event was the key race for the big one at Churchill Downs. It didn't turn out that way, as none of the trio finished in the money.
Commandment was considered one of the likeliest winners in Louisville before finishing a disappointing seventh as the 6-1 fourth choice after a rough trip.
The Equibase chart's comments detail his lack of racing luck: “Commandment came away a step slow, was five wide into the first turn, six wide into the second turn, and was jostled between horses through the stretch.”
Few horses could have overcome all that trouble, so Cox is keeping the faith.
“I thought his performance in the Derby was decent,” he said Thursday on a conference call. “Obviously, it wasn't the performance we were looking for, but I think he ran a decent race. The dynamics of the race just didn't set up for him that day.”
Although the Derby was only Commandment's second loss in six career starts, there's been little buzz about him for the Belmont. Cox chalks that up to the “What have you done lately?” mentality.
“I think a lot of that has to do with what he did in his last race,” he said. “He's trained well since then, and I feel like we're in a good spot with him.”
Commandment breezed 5 furlongs in 1:00 4/5 May 22 at Churchill in company with stablemate Dragoon Guard, a 5-year-old Grade 3 winner. “He kind of got away from Dragoon Guard on the gallop-out,” Cox said, “so that is encouraging” for Commandment, who is not known for extending himself in workouts. He followed that breeze with a 5-furlong work in 1:00.40 on May 30.
Cox, a two-time Eclipse Award winner for leading trainer, won the 2021 Belmont with Essential Quality.
Velazquez, the all-time No. 1 jockey in earnings, is still riding in top form at age 54. The Hall of Famer has two Belmont victories -- on the filly Rags to Riches (2007) and Union Rags (2012).
Despite Commandment's 4-for-6 record, he'll have a different jockey for the fourth consecutive race. Velazquez replaces Luis Saez, who came after Flavien Prat, Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Jaime Torres.
Cox said it was a no-brainer to switch to Velazquez, who rode Cox's Further Ado to an 11th-place finish as the 5-1 Derby favorite. That colt is skipping the Belmont.
“Johnny was open, and we felt like we needed to lock him up before maybe someone else did,” he said. “You can't go wrong when you put him up on a horse, and I think it'll be a good matchup.”
Don't overreact to the Derby, where Commandment had plenty of excuses. With 1-2 finishers, Golden Tempo and Renegade likely to be overbet, Commandment shapes up as an overlay. Bet to win, place, and box him in exactas with those two and Chief Wallabee. Let’s calculate your winning ticket, including Commandment:
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
