The 2022 Triple Crown season concludes when the starting gate opens in the final leg of the Triple Crown, the 2022 Belmont Stakes, on June 11 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Surprise Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike is expected to run in the Belmont after his connections shockingly decided to skip the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. The Belmont Stakes field will be set after post positions are drawn next week, but the race is expected to attract a field of about 10. Wood Memorial winner and Derby fifth-place finisher Mo Donegal is the early Belmont Stakes favorite, at 5-2 in the 2022 Belmont Stakes odds.
Peter Pan Stakes winner We the People is the second in the odds at 7-2, while Rich Strike is 5-1 in the Belmont Stakes 2022 field. Given the shocking Triple Crown season thus far, you’ll want to see what astute racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Belmont Stakes picks.
Few people in racing are as connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
She also has tremendous handicapping chops. In the 2011 Kentucky Derby, she correctly tabbed Animal Kingdom to win at a hefty 21-1. In the 2017 Breeders’ Cup, she nailed 11-1 long shot Wuheida to win the Filly and Mare Turf. Last year, in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. And in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager this year, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Belmont Stakes field, made her picks and constructed her bets. Go to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2022 Belmont Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu is high on the only filly expected to enter the race, Nest. A long shot at 8-1, Nest has four wins, one second and one third in six career starts. She is coming off a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Oaks the day before the Derby.
Nest is bred to excel at the Belmont distance of 1½ miles, the longest distance that these horses likely will ever run in their careers. Both her sire (Curlin) and damsire (A.P. Indy) are major distance influences as stallions, and A.P. Indy won the Belmont in 1992. “In her races, she appears to be begging for more ground,” Yu says.
How to make 2022 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
In addition, Yu is high on a double-digit long shot who “has done nothing but compete every time.” She is including this horse in her 2022 Belmont Stakes bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2022 Belmont Stakes bets? What double-digit long shot is a must-back? And what does Yu think of every horse in the race? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Belmont Stakes, and find out.
