The field for the $2 million Belmont Stakes underwent a few changes in the days leading up to the post-position draw on Monday, June 1st.
Final entries, post positions, and morning odds will be announced at the draw for the Belmont, set for June 6 at Saratoga Race Course.
First off, the top storyline – at least for this edition of the Belmont – is still Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade on course for a rematch.
The field lost several contenders with Chip Honcho, Potente, and So Happy all being ruled out by their trainers.
Chip Honcho ran third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) for trainer Steve Asmussen; Potente finished 12th in the Derby for trainer Bob Baffert, and So Happy ran ninth in the Derby for trainer Mark Glatt.
Baffert also said that unbeaten 3-year-old Crude Velocity, winner of the Pat Day Mile (G2) on Derby Day, would be pointed to the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) on Belmont Day.
As of Thursday, a field of 10 contenders is listed by the New York Racing Association.
While Renegade and Golden Tempo are the likely favorites, challengers include a trio of colts from trainer Chad Brown -- Emerging Market, Growth Equity, and Ottinho – plus Commandment, Chief Wallabee, Ocelli, Powershift, and Vitruvian Man.
Renegade and Powershift are both trained by four-time Belmont winner Todd Pletcher.
Emerging Market ran 10th in the Derby, Growth Equity won the Peter Pan Stakes (G3), and Ottinho last ran second in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and missed the Derby and Preakness with a foot injury.
Commandment, trained by Brad Cox, ran seventh in the Derby, while Ocelli is winless in eight starts but ran third in the Derby and fourth in the Preakness for trainer Whit Beckman.
Vitruvian Boy, trained by Doug O’Neill, has a maiden win and ran third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in his last start.
Chief Wallabee, fourth in the Derby, is trained by Bill Mott, who won the 2025 Derby and Belmont with Sovereignty. The last trainer to win the Belmont two (or more) years in a row was the late D. Wayne Lukas, who won three in a row from 1994-96 with Tabasco Cat, Thunder Gulch, and Editor’s Note.
Preakness winner Napoleon Solo is bypassing the Belmont for the Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park on July 18. Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness.
| 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 | Vitruvian ManTBD · D. O'Neill | 20/1 |
| TBD | CommandmentTBD · B. Cox | 5/1 |
| TBD | PowershiftTBD · T. Pletcher | 20/1 |
| TBD | Emerging MarketTBD · C. Brown | 7/1 |
| TBD | Growth EquityTBD · C. Brown | 14/1 |
| TBD | OcelliTBD · W. Beckman | 20/1 |
| TBD | OttinhoTBD · C. Brown | 25/1 |
Last Updated on 05/29/2026
Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who was aboard Further Ado in the Derby, will ride Commandment in the Belmont ... Luis Saez will ride Powershift, who was impressive in an allowance win on Derby Day, and Dylan Davis, recently returned from injury, will have the call on Ottinho ... and Jose Ortiz (Golden Tempo) and brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. (Renegade) will go at it again.
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.
