The 2019 Belmont Stakes takes place on Saturday, June 8. Although neither Maximum Security nor Country House will make the race, Preakness winner War of Will should enter the starting gate. What are War of Will’s true chances of winning the Test of Champions on Saturday? Check out a preview and the latest 2019 Belmont Stakes odds!
2019 Belmont Stakes Odds, TV Schedule, Entry List, and Preview
- When: Saturday, June 8
- Where: Belmont Park, Elmont, NY
- TV: NBC
- Live Stream: NBCSports.com
2019 Belmont Stakes Odds to Win
- Tacitus +160
- War of Will +200
- Everfast +800
- Spinoff +900
- Master Fencer +1100
- Intrepid Heart +1200
- Sir Winston +1600
- Tax +1600
- Bourbon War +1600
- Joevia +3300
Which favorite, Tacitus or War of Will, deserves backing to win the 2019 Belmont Stakes?
Tacitus has all the making of a Belmont Stakes winner. His sire, Tapit, has sired 3 of the last 5 Belmont Stakes winners: Tonalist in 2014, Creator in 2016, and Tapwrit in 2017. Not only that, but Bill Mott trains Tacitus. Mott trained Country House, who ended up winning the Kentucky Derby after the stewards disqualified Maximum Security.
Although Tacitus looks like the better choice, it’s difficult to discount War of Will’s chances. The Mark Casse trainee easily won the Preakness Stakes two weeks after encountering all sorts of trouble in the Derby. Would War of Will had won the Derby if Maximum Security hadn’t come out on him?
It’s hard to say. Even though War of Will won the Preakness Stakes, he has yet to run as fast as Tacitus. Not only that, but War of Will encountered trouble around the turn and at the top of the stretch. Tacitus had a brutal trip in the Derby and kept running on.
Breeding means a ton in the Test of Champions, more so than in any other dirt race where a horse is likely to run. Tacitus is better bred to handle the 1 ½ mile distance. Also, he had a mini-vacation while the Belmont will be War of Will’s third race in the span of 5 weeks. Tacitus is the better play.
What horse can win the Belmont Stakes among Everfast, Spinoff, Master Fencer, and Intrepid Heart?
This one is easy. First, let’s knock down the pretenders. Everfast is the only horse that closed in the Preakness Stakes. That wasn’t a truly quality race. Everfast looks like a pretender.
Spinoff looks like a pretender as well. Spinoff did nothing in the Kentucky Derby. Although he looked great in the Louisiana Derby, the horse that beat him, By My Standards, did nothing in the Derby either. Spinoff is a throw out and so is Master Fencer. The Japanese horse ran well in the Derby. He’s not really bred to win at 1 ½ miles, though.
That leaves Intrepid Heart. Like Tacitus, he’s sired by Tapit. He bombed in the Peter Pan, but that was only his third lifetime race. Todd Pletcher will have him ready on Saturday. Intrepid Heart looks like a real contender to win the Belmont Stakes.
Which of the longshots, Sir Winston, Tax, Bourbon War, or Joevia, deserves Belmont Stakes win consideration?
This is a tough one, but Sir Winston and Tax have a chance. Sir Winston closed from the clouds to finish second in the Peter Pan. If the pace is fast enough, he can get up for the win at Big Sandy. Tax had no chance in the Derby because he was stuck inside. There was no room for him to make a run.
The Belmont could be different. Tax is trained by a New York horseman, Danny Gargan. Not only that, he’s bred, sired by Arch and from a Giant’s Causeway mare, to run all day and then some. Tax and Sir Winston are the best underdog choices to win on June 8.
