Belmont Stakes 2024: Mystik Dan can rally into contested pace
Read this articleBelmont Derby 2023: Wizard of Westwood is another crafty McCarthy longshot
Saturday, July 8 at Belmont Park features one of the feature races of the turf racing year: the $1 million Belmont Derby! The 1 ¼-mile race drew 11 horses from the United States and abroad to compete for that huge purse, and to start off the prestigious New York Turf Triple on the right foot. With such a large and competitive field, the race is also a highlight for bettors!
Even though the Belmont Derby only began to exist as such since 2014, it has already amassed an incredible list of winners. From overseas horses like Deauville (2016) and Bolshoi Ballet (2021) to important Americans like Oscar Performance (2017) and Catholic Boy (2018), the winners’ list is a who’s who of important turf (and, in the case of Catholic Boy, dirt!) horses.
Keep reading to find out which horses has the best chance to join this list in 2023, and to learn about the best places to bet the Belmont Derby online in California!
Where to Bet the Belmont Derby Online
Even though it would be great to travel to New York to see the Belmont Derby in person, we cannot all make it there. Fortunately, the best online racebooks let you be part of the action from home or anywhere with an internet connection! All of our recommended sites offer trusted payouts, smooth user interfaces, and real Vegas odds when you bet the Belmont Derby and races year round!
In addition to the convenience of betting from anywhere, our recommended California betting sites also offer rich racebook bonuses that you’ll never find at the track. These include deposit bonuses, referral incentives, and even rebates that pay you money every time you bet, win or lose! Choosing the right bonuses for how you like to play can boost your bankroll by hundreds or even thousands of dollars!
These are the best online racebooks for betting the Belmont Derby in California:
Belmont Derby Field
This is the official field for the 2022 Belmont Derby including post positions, trainers, and jockeys:
- Mendelssohns March (Ken McPeek/Dylan Davis)
- Boppy O (Mark Casse/Luis Saez)
- Cyber Ninja (Bill Mott/Junior Alvarado)
- Webslinger (Mark Casse/Javier Castellano)
- Far Bridge (Todd Pletcher/Jose Ortiz)
- Silver Knott (Charlie Appleby/Richard Mullen)
- Wizard of Westwood (Michael McCarthy/John Velazquez)
- Kalik (Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz, Jr.)
- Mondego (Christophe Clement/Joel Rosario)
- Redistricting (Chad Brown/Flavien Prat)
- The Foxes (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy)
Closer to race day, Belmont Park will release a morning line. That number is the track’s best estimate for what odds will look like. It can be a useful guide to which horses are expected to take wagering action, but actual odds often differ significantly from those morning-line odds and they are not a guarantee.
Your best bet is to play the Belmont Derby at an online racebook. Online, you can get fixed odds on major races like the Belmont Derby. That way, you can lock in the best price on your pick as soon as you place your bet. Instead of waiting for on-track odds to become final at post time, you can watch the race confident that you have the best odds from when you placed your bet!
Belmont Derby Handicapping
The Belmont Derby’s 11-horse field is both large and competitive enough to make the race one of the best betting races of the summer, especially with a live long shot in the field. Read on to meet the major contenders!
Belmont Derby Favorites
Kalik has the best chance among the favorites in the Belmont Derby. He carries a three-race win streak into the Belmont Derby for leading turf trainer Chad Brown, including a score in the Pennine Ridge (G2), the local prep race for the Belmont Derby. Even though he probably gets outjumped to the front in this race, he stands to be in range and he proved in his maiden win that he can stalk and pounce.
Between the overseas runners, The Foxes appeals more. Although his late-running style may not be the best fit for the race, he has a class advantage. After all, he comes out of a fifth-place finish in the Derby (G1) at Epsom. Though he never looked a winner, the top two finishers have both come back to win other important European races. Furthermore, the cut back from 1 ½ miles that day to the 1 ¼-mile distance of the Belmont Derby should suit The Foxes perfectly.
Belmont Derby Best Bet
The best bet in the Belmont Derby is Wizard of Westwood. Though he tries graded stakes company for the first time, he should be able to get a great trip as the speed of the speed. He is already a winner at 1 ¼ miles on grass. And, trainer Michael McCarthy has a great history of shipping horses long distances to take rises in class, and seeing them outrun their odds. This all adds up to one very live long shot.
Belmont Derby Exotic Contenders
Webslinger and Silver Knott both appeal for exotic wagers in the Belmont Derby. American Turf (G2) winner Webslinger showed a new stalking dimension last out when winning the Audubon, and using that ability again could get him an excellent trip here. Silver Knott has been more an underneath type when he comes to America, but he is consistently in the frame and should be able to muster up another late run for an underneath check.
2023 Belmont Derby Free Picks
You have created your online betting account and gotten to know the field. Now, it is time for the best part of all: placing your bets on the 2023 Belmont Derby! Here are the expert-recommended wagers for Saturday’s race:
- $20 to win - #7 Wizard of Westwood
- $1 exacta box - #7 Wizard of Westwood, #8 Kalik, #11 The Foxes
- $0.50 trifecta box - #4 Webslinger, #7 Wizard of Westwood, #8 Kalik, #11 The Foxes
- $0.20 superfecta box - #4 Webslinger, #7 Wizard of Westwood, #6 Silver Knott, #8 Kalik, #11 The Foxes
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