The third and final leg of the Triple Crown is set, and it is shaping up to be the most compelling Belmont Stakes in years. Napoleon Solo will not make the trip to Saratoga after winning the Preakness on Saturday. What you are getting instead is a Kentucky Derby rematch between the top two finishers at Churchill Downs. Golden Tempo and Renegade headline a $2 million race on June 6, and the question of who is actually the better horse is about to get answered at 1 1/4 miles.
Full entries and official odds are available at BUSR. Here is where the key players stand heading into post time.
| 2026 Belmont Stakes Fair Odds | ||
| Official post positions, contenders and odds will be published following the post-position draw on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. | ||
| PP | Horse / Trainer | Fair Odds |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | RenegadeTBD · T. Pletcher | 9/5 |
| TBD | Golden TempoTBD · C. DeVaux | 9/2 |
| TBD | Chief WallabeeTBD · W. Mott | 5/1 |
| TBD | CommandmentTBD · B. Cox | 5/1 |
| TBD | Emerging MarketTBD · C. Brown | 7/1 |
| TBD | Growth EquityTBD · C. Brown | 14/1 |
| TBD | PotenteTBD · B. Baffert | 16/1 |
| TBD | OcelliTBD · W. Beckman | 20/1 |
| TBD | Chip HonchoTBD · S. Asmussen | 22/1 |
| TBD | OttinhoTBD · C. Brown | 25/1 |
Last Updated on 05/18/2026
Renegade is going to open as the favorite, and the case is not hard to make. Todd Pletcher's son of Into Mischief won the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn by sweeping past the field from well off the pace both times. In the Kentucky Derby, Irad Ortiz Jr. chose him over the rest of the Pletcher barn, drew the rail, got squeezed at the break, recovered, made a massive run, and still fell a neck short to a 23-1 shot. Finishing second in a 20-horse Derby from post one against a pace collapse is a performance that holds up at any distance. He fits the Belmont profile as well as any horse in this field, and the cleaner draw he figures to get at Saratoga removes the one excuse he had at Churchill Downs.
Golden Tempo is the horse everyone wants to root for, and there is a real case to make. Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby when Golden Tempo came from last to rip through the middle of the Churchill Downs track at 23-1 under Jose Ortiz. The well-bred son of Curlin gave up nothing early, sat last, and let the pace collapse do the work. The blueprint is right there. Sovereignty did exactly this in 2025, skipping the Preakness and winning the Belmont off the Derby. If Golden Tempo gets the same setup, a hot early pace that burns out the leaders, he is dangerous. The honest question is whether that setup repeats in a smaller, cleaner field at Saratoga. If the pace is honest, Renegade has the class edge. If it collapses again, Golden Tempo will be coming from last, and the stretch run at Saratoga sets up perfectly for a closer.
Bill Mott has Chief Wallabee pointing to Saratoga, and this is the spot where he finally breaks through in stakes company. The son of Constitution has been close in the Fountain of Youth, the Florida Derby, and the Kentucky Derby without getting the job done. In the Derby, he went off at 7-1, had a rough run down the stretch getting bumped repeatedly, ducked to the rail, and still finished fourth. That is a troubled trip at a price that deserves another chance. Chief Wallabee has more tactical speed than either Renegade or Golden Tempo, which means he can get first run at the leaders turning for home instead of waiting for the pace to come back to him. In a three-horse race at the top, that tactical edge matters. If you are looking for a price alternative to the top two, Chief Wallabee is where that conversation starts.
The field beyond the top three is still taking shape with 18 days to go, but there are names worth building into your tickets now. Brad Cox's Commandment won the Florida Derby and finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby. He has a class excuse and deserves another shot at this level at a price. Chad Brown could send as many as three horses, and his Saratoga record makes all of them relevant. Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market lost a shoe when finishing tenth in the Kentucky Derby and has a clean excuse. Peter Pan Stakes winner Growth Equity and Blue Grass Stakes runner-up Ottinho round out the Brown stable options. From the Preakness, Chip Honcho finished third, and Ocelli got up for fourth, and both are possible entrants heading north.
For ticket construction, the approach is the same as for any wide-open Grade I stakes: build around the pace scenario. Renegade and Golden Tempo are your natural key horses on top. For the third and fourth spots in the trifecta and superfecta, Emerging Market, with his equipment excuse, and Ottinho, off a strong Grade 1 effort, are the first calls at a price. Commandment as a fifth wheel in a superfecta box gives you lottery coverage in a field that could produce another big payout. The first two legs of the Triple Crown this year paid $48.24 and $17.80 to win. The Belmont has the same potential.
"Renegade was the best horse in the Derby. He drew the rail, got squeezed, recovered and nearly won. The excuse is gone at Saratoga. He is going to be hard to beat."
2026 Belmont Stakes -- Golden Tempo or Renegade? Who actually wins this rematch?
Most of the conversation is leaning Renegade given the clean pace scenario, but the Golden Tempo camp is pointing hard at the Sovereignty comparison. Chief Wallabee at a price is getting serious exotic action.
The broader conversation on X and Reddit is almost entirely about whether the Derby form holds and whether Golden Tempo can engineer another pace collapse without the benefit of a 20-horse field setting brutal fractions. The Sovereignty comparison is drawing real attention, and casual money will follow the Derby winner. Expect his price to be tighter than his chances warrant by post time. Get in early on Renegade if that is your horse, because the sharp money is already there.
Renegade is expected to open as the morning-line favorite after his hard-luck second in the Kentucky Derby. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Into Mischief was arguably the most impressive horse at Churchill Downs and returns without the rail draw that complicated his trip. His two wins earlier in the season at Tampa Bay Downs and Oaklawn were dominant performances that support his favoritism at Saratoga.
Yes. Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness and will look to complete the same sequence Sovereignty ran in 2025, winning the Kentucky Derby, bypassing the Preakness, and taking the Belmont at Saratoga. Trainer Cherie DeVaux, who became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, is pointing the son of Curlin directly at the final leg of the Triple Crown on June 6.
The 158th Belmont Stakes is being run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Saturday, June 6, 2026. The race is 1 1/4 miles and is being hosted at Saratoga for the third consecutive year. The purse is $2 million.
Beyond the top three of Renegade, Golden Tempo, and Chief Wallabee, the field is still forming. Brad Cox's Commandment is a likely entrant after winning the Florida Derby. Chad Brown could send Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market, Peter Pan winner Growth Equity, and Blue Grass runner-up Ottinho. Preakness third-place finisher Chip Honcho and fourth-place finisher Ocelli are also considered possible starters.
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.
