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The 3rd and final leg of the Triple Crown Race starts on Saturday, June 11th, 2022, in Elmont, NY, home of Belmont. Eight evenly matched horses will race it out, but there will be no Triple Crown. Rich Strike won the series in the Kentucky Derby in May and sat out the Preakness, which Early voting won but is sitting out this one. Plenty of talent will be on display with close eyes on Mo Donegal, We The People, and Rich Strike. Let’s talk about odds and betting strategies in the Belmont fixture offered by Vwin’s sports news.

Odds

This year’s Triple Crown Favorite is We The People, but the entrance of Rich Strike will alter the odds, and Mo Donegal is well-rested too.

1. We The People: 2-1
2. Mo Donegal: 5-2
3. Rich Strike: 7-2
4. Skippy Longstocking: 20-1
5. Nest: 8-1
6. Creative Minister: 6-1
7. Golden Glitter: 20-1
8. Barber Road: 10-1

Outright Pick

The morning line favorite is We The People at 2-1. The winner of the Peter Pan Stakes is a debutant in the Belmont Stakes, but his peppy acceleration may once again prove the winner. Although the racing track was a bit wet and favored We The People’s acceleration, we still expect him to set off on a hot start and stave off Rich Strike, who has an excellent closing ability. At 2-1, We The People is the clear pick for the outright win.

On the final turn, we are not backing him for this race despite Rich Strike pulling the rag from seemingly Kentucky Derby favorites, Epicenter and Zandon. Rich Strike at 7-2 may be an exotic bet or one to avoid altogether. The horse and jockey, Leone, have never been on this track. But some argue that the longest trail in the Triple Crown Series will favor Rich Strike. We wouldn’t place all our money on Rich Strike. For another outright win pick, consider Mo Donegal and Creative Minister.

Mo Donegal is an improving horse. The gate 4 position is perfect for jockey Ortiz Jr who and the horse has proven he enjoys longer tracks which is what Belmont Stakes presents. Creative Minister may have used the Preakness as his springboard, recording a career-best speed at the Stakes. He is a horse we favor to take home the Belmont Stakes.

Betting Strategy

You will increase your odds by combining your outright picks with trifecta variations and other prop bets. One wager we like is the winning distance. Set it to over 1.5 since the track is the longest, and many horses will tire faster.

The starting gate of the winner bet will most likely be in gates 1-4. You can hedge your bet with exacta picks, although that’s a long shot. In the winning prop, you can back Rich Strike, although it is improbable that he will replicate the performance at Derby.

Verdict

We The People is the clear outright pick, but we also have Creative Minister in our sights. He isn’t the fastest but has shown tangible improvements. This weekend’s Belmont Stakes bets may provide much cash if you stake wisely. The horse’s stats and knowing the race track will help shed more light on the clear winner. Take your pick and gallop away at the Stakes.

The Weatherbys Champion Bumper, run on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival in March, is the only Grade 1 race of its kind – that is, a National Hunt Flat race – run on British soil. Inaugurated in 1992, the race has thrown up numerous future superstars over hurdles and fences, including Florida Pearl and Cue Card, to name but two.

The 2022 renewal of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper proved to be no exception, with the top three ‘bumper’ horses, according to Timeform, filling the first three places. The trio was headed by Facile Vega (127+), an unbeaten 5-year-old trained by Willie Mullins, who confirmed his position at the head of the pecking order by digging deep to beat stablemate Redemption Day in the Punchestown Champion Bumper the following month. Mullins, who has won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper twelve times, said, ‘I’ve compared him to Florida Pearl, who was a very good bumper horse, and that’s how highly we regard him. He’d be in the top percentage of our winners of this race.’

Second at Cheltenham, and subsequently third at Punchestown, was American Mike (122), another 5-year-old trained by Gordon Elliott. Although no match for the principals on either occasion, the son of St. Leger runner-up Mahler was described by the Co. Meath handler as a ‘proper horse’ when impressively winning his preparatory race for the Cheltenham Festival at Navan in December.

James’s Gate (118), a stable companion of Facile Vega, headed to the Cheltenham Festival on the back of impressive, 8-length win on his debut at Punchestown in mid-February. He was sent fifth choice of seven Willie Mullins-trained entries at 16/1, but fared better than all bar Facile Vega, finishing third, beaten 6¼ lengths. He was beaten, at odds-on, on his third and final start of the campaign, back at Punchestown in April, but remains a smart prospect.

Before taking up betting as a pastime, there are a few things any prospective punter needs to get ironed out ahead of time. How they will fund their efforts is one of those questions, and so too is the matter of how they will schedule betting times. Are you planning to have an occasional flutter when the mood takes you and you get a good tip, or are you looking to put time and research into your efforts? These things matter, and you’ll do well to answer them before you move on to the practice.

Another question, aside from how and when you will bet, is the matter of where. There are many bookmakers out there, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, and picking the one (or more usually ones) for you is an important part of getting betting right. So below, we’ll give you some pointers on picking the best bookmaker without specifically guiding you towards named bookies.

Find a bookmaker who suits your priorities

It’s a fact that some bookies are specialists in a particular area. While the bigger names are almost uniformly broad churches – they’ll offer a wide range of bets on a wide range of sports – some of the lesser-known names on the market are focused on specifics. If you’re planning to bet here and there on horse racing or esports, you will find bookies who are focused on those to the exclusion of all else.

Check out their special offers

Most bookmakers will have a special offer or two, and it won’t just be tucked away in some corner of their site, it will generally be the first thing you see when you arrive there. Everyone likes a little something for free once in a while, and it’s worth enjoying the special offers at a bookmaker’s site. The one caveat to this is to look out for gimmicks and fripperies that make the offers look better than they actually are. If a bookmaker offers loads of money’s worth of free bets, check those bets to see if there are strings attached. Sometimes they’ll have to be accas with at least three parts, and those parts must all be above a certain price… The more caveats, the less worthwhile the offer – which can make the bookie less tempting.

Read up about the best providers

In large part, the betting community are extremely online, which is excellent news for you if you’re looking to pick the best bookie. A quick google with “best bookie”, plus your specific priority (like “best bookie for football” or “best bookie for pro betting”) will deliver the results you need. You’ll find experienced bettors talking without the marketing jargon about which bookmakers they trust (and which they don’t), and why. This is particularly useful if you read information from forums, where you can pitch your own questions and get educated, precise answers.