| 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
When you have a close relative in the Hall of Fame, that's an awful lot for a 3-year-old colt to live up to. Super sire Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, is a half-brother to Ottinho, who is off to a slow start. The highlight of his four-race career is a distant second (beaten by 11 lengths) on April 4 in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) to Further Ado, who subsequently finished 11th as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Ottinho and Gun Runner have the same mother, Quiet Giant, whose sire, Giant's Causeway, was a six-time Group 1 winner in Europe and a standout stallion. Ottinho's only victory was in a slow race Dec. 31 at Aqueduct. Although he hasn't run since the Blue Grass, trainer Chad Brown is throwing him into deep water in Saturday's Belmont Stakes.
He's not worried about getting the distance, but he's concerned about how Ottinho will measure up against standouts Golden Tempo, Renegade, and Commandment. He's never faced any opponents this talented.
“That horse wants every bit of a mile and a quarter,” Brown said. “He will stay all day, fitness-wise. But you do get into ‘Do they want this class-level competition?’ We'll find out.”
Two weeks after the Blue Grass, Brown announced that the Belmont Stakes Contender Ottinho would skip the Kentucky Derby (G1). An injury kept him from running in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan Stakes (G3) on May 9 at Aqueduct, and it hadn't healed enough for him to go in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes (G1) a week later.
“It's a crack in the sole of his foot,” Brown said. “It's in a weird spot, and he's been training in a bar shoe. He's not likely to run in it, and I think I can get him out of it by race day. He's doing great in it, and he's really picked it up the last few weeks.”
He's had four half-mile workouts since May 9 over the Belmont Park dirt training track, none faster than 48 seconds. Brown rarely asks for much speed in the mornings, and he's been building up Ottinho's stamina. He was timed in :48.44 on May 30, his final breeze before the big day.
In his only victory, Ottinho set a very slow pace -- 49.79 seconds for a half, 1:14.87 for 6 furlongs, 1:40.90 for a mile -- before completing 9 furlongs in 1:54.07. He's definitely not a speed horse, and not as good a closer as Golden Tempo, Renegade, or Commandment, so it's hard to see him making an impact in the Belmont Stakes.
He'll have a new rider in the talented Dylan Davis, who has been making a comeback after a scary spill on Nov. 14 at Aqueduct. He suffered nine fractured ribs, a collapsed and punctured lung, a broken collarbone, and a hairline arm fracture.
“Eleven bones, a kidney, I don't wish the pain on anybody,” said Davis, who resumed riding in February. He's been on a roll, winning 23 races at the Big A, including eight for Brown. His only Belmont mount was in 2022, when he finished last on Golden Glider. He replaces Flavien Prat, who will ride Brown's Emerging Market on Saturday.
“I'm doing well, riding a bunch of races and winning,” Davis said. “I feel really great, and I feel like I'm right back on track.”
Brown has never won the Belmont, with his best finishes being Gronkowski (second, 2018) and Sierra Leone (third, 2024).
Besides Ottinho and Emerging Market, he will also saddle Growth Equity, like Ottinho, a son of Quality Road.
Davis is the son of Robbie Davis, who rode 3,382 winners while based mainly in New York. Robbie's daughters, Katie Davis, McCarthy, and Jacky Davis, are also professional riders.
Ottinho appears to be in way over his head in the Belmont. The only positive is that he'll be a huge price. He's not quick enough to keep up early and not as good a finisher as many of his rivals. No bets.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
