4 days ago
The 8 Horses Competing In The 2025 Belmont Stakes
Horse racing's Triple Crown is down to the final jewel and of the eight horses running the Belmont Stakes at the race's temporary home of the Saratoga Race Course, Sovereignty and Journalism demand the most attention.
It's all for good reason.
Sovereignty surprised Journalism with a victory at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, but skipped the Preakness at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course—and a shot at a Triple Crown—opening the door for Journalism to capture the second race in the Triple Crown. Now the two are set to go head-to-head once again, even if six other horses join the fray in search of a prestigious win.
The June 7 race, with a post time of 7:04 p.m. EST, will be run in Saratoga instead of at the traditional home of Belmont Park, but the New York Racing Association says the New Belmont Park will be ready to again host the Belmont Stakes in 2026, offering a revamped and modernized take on horse racing that will feature a new five-story structure.
The change for this year, though, is about more than location. It also shortens the race's length. The Belmont Stakes is typically run at 1-1/2 miles, but the smaller Saratoga track requires shortening the race to 1-1/4 miles to not place the start on a turn. The 10 furlongs is the same as what is run at the Kentucky Derby—the Preakness is slightly shorter at 9.5 furlongs—making the typically longer Belmont Stakes a near-direct Kentucky Derby repeat for the Sovereignty-Journalism rematch. Let's explore the eight horses in the field in order of starting position.
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sire: Quality Road
Odds: 14/1
It was a long road to New York for Hill Road. The horse began his racing career in Ireland but then moved to Chad Brown's New York barn. In his last start, Hill Road won the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan, a traditional local prep race for the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarade
Sire: Into Mischief
Odds: 7/2
The Kentucky Derby 1-1/2-length win over Journalism on May 3 brought Sovereignty into the limelight. The come-from-behind victory on the sloppy track showed the horse could handle the length, his second race at that distance. Now the Godolphin-owned horse preps to increase the $3.6 million lifetime earnings with a pressure-filled start in New York.
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Sire: Authentic
Odds: 7/1
Rodriguez won the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in April at the nearby Aqueduct Racetrack without blinders and earned a spot in the starting field at the Kentucky Derby. Rodriquez was a scratch, though, due to a foot issue, forcing the bob Baffert-trained horse to instead focus on the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Seaz
Sire: Curlin
Odds: 23/1
Uncaged knows Saratoga, having run his first race on the track there last summer. He also ran in the Grade 3 Peter Pan, where he came in sixth, well behind Hill Road. He's the longest shot in the field.
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Sire: Justify
Odds: 13/1
The second Todd Pletcher-trained horse in the field, Crudo has Triple Crown pedigree as the son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. With celebrity chef Bobby Flay part of the ownership team, the relatively untested horse will have his longest race of his career at Saratoga.
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Sire: McKinzie
Odds: 3/1
Baeza has been in the mix with some of the biggest names in racing this year. Baeza was closely beat in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby by Journalism and finished third in the Kentucky Derby. It's no surprise, then, that Baeza is just behind the two favorites in the discussion for the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
Sire: Curlin
Odds: 6/5
Journalism was the favorite heading into the Kentucky Derby after four consecutive wins before the May race but was bested by Sovereignty. Journalism captured the Preakness two weeks later with a half-length victory over Gosger. The 1-2-3 Kentucky Derby finish of Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza will certainly give fans something to watch at Saratoga.
Trainer: Jamie Osborne
Jockey: Saffie Osborne
Sire: Honor A.P.
Odds: 17/1
Heart of Honor made his debut in the United States with a fifth-place finish in the Preakness. The British-bred horse struggled with pace during the race but has since had more time in America preparing for the Belmont Stakes, led by the father-daughter trainer-jockey duo.
