In the newest edition of “The Edge,” Gambling.com’s Steve Bittenbender offers his top pick to win the 2025 Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday, June 7.
The Belmont is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. It comes after the first leg, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, and then the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.
Here’s how Bittenbender sees this year’s Belmont:
“You have Sovereignty and Journalism, who I think are heads above the field,” Bittenbender said. “If I had to put $2 to win right now, or more than $2 to win, I would go on Journalism.”
Bittenbender added that Rodriguez “is the biggest wildcard of the bunch.” “If Rodriguez gets out early, it could be a race where he dictates the pace,” Bittenbender said.
“So I will probably end up playing a couple of exotics with Journalism, Sovereignty and Rodriguez.”
Bittenbender is a Louisville resident and longtime gaming and horse racing reporter. Last year during an episode of “The Edge,” Bittenbender, prior to the 2024 Belmont, correctly predicted Dornoch, at 15-1 odds, would win the race.
This year’s Belmont features a competitive field that includes the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby—Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza—in that order.
Sovereignty skipped the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore two weeks later, meaning there would be no Triple Crown winner this year. Journalism ran in the Preakness and won it, setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Sovereignty in the Belmont.
In addition to offering his picks on this year’s Belmont, Bittenbender comments on the current debate regarding the Triple Crown schedule. Some would like to see the race dates spread out a little more to give the horses time to recover. Others favor maintaining the current five-week span from the Kentucky Derby in early May to the Belmont in early June, saying that schedule is a test of greatness.
The 157th Belmont airs Saturday, June 7, on Fox. Post time is 7:04 p.m. ET.
Post Position, Odds
- Hill Road (10-1)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
- Sovereignty (2-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
- Rodriguez (6-1)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
- Uncaged (30-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez
- Crudo (15-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
- Baeza (4-1)
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Flavien Prat
- Journalism (8-5)
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
- Heart of Honor (30-1)
Trainer: Jamie Osborne
Jockey: Saffie Osborne
2025 Triple Crown Schedule
- The Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, May 3
- The Preakness Stakes: Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland, May 17
- The Belmont Stakes: Saratoga*, New York, June 7
