Belmont Stakes: All you need to know about the last leg of Triple Crown

Saturday marks the final race in the 2024 Triple Crown series as Saratoga Springs, New York, plays host for this year’s Belmont Stakes.

The traditional home of the third leg of horse racing’s most iconic matches has moved for the 156th running of the Belmont Stakes as Belmont Park undergoes a $455 million, two-year renovation, Fox Sports reported.

The Long Island park is expected to reopen in 2026, The New York Times reported.

This year, there will not be a Triple Crown winner as two different horses won the previous two races — Mystik Dan crossed the finish line first at the Kentucky Derby while Seize the Grey seized the win at the Preakness.

Both are still in the running to win Saturday’s race, with 5-1 and 8-1 odds respectively, according to NBC Sports.

The Belmont favorite is Sierra Leone, who has 9-5 odds and had been the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby but came up short against Mystik Dan, taking second in the photo finish.

The horse did not run at Pimlico.

“I like the favorite a lot. Sierra Leone is the best of the class, has a great combination of trainer and jockey especially for this course (Saratoga),” NBC Sports betting analyst Drew Dinsick said.

Horse handicapper Kirk Rockwell is also getting behind Sierra Leone to win.

“He’s 5/2 on the morning line and that’ll drop by the weekend. I don’t think it bottoms to even money, but he’s the class of the race in my mind. He’s beaten everybody except Mystik Dan and almost clipped Mystik Dan at the wire. If you can bet fixed odds now, it’s definitely worth it at 5/2,” he told Fox Sports.

“There’s only ten horses in this race and it’s a good draw. He’s a great closer and if he stays up and doesn’t sit too far back, he’ll be fine,” Rockwell said.

Post time for the Belmont Stakes is at approximately 6:41 p.m. ET on Saturday, according to Sporting News.

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