3 Takeaways from a Disastrous Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga

For the casual horse racing fan, Saturday’s Belmont Stakes at Saratoga delivered another exciting showcase between Sovereignty and Journalism, the two top horses in the 3-year-old division. For horse players who eat and drink it up on a regular basis, it was a downright disaster. Let me explain.

A Belmont Day Without a Pick 5

Saratoga Springs was covered in rainfall on Friday evening. There was another downpour on Saturday morning before the skies cleared. Most of the day was sunny, except for a shower leading in to the Belmont Stakes.

You can race horse in the mud. It’s much harder to do on a grassy turf course.

When it rains too much, races will be taken off the turf and put on the dirt. For a big race day like the Belmont, they will typically move the undercards, but keep the stakes races on the grass. Saratoga chose another option.

Two graded stakes, the Jaipur and Manhattan, were canceled and moved to Sunday, the final day of the meet. Race 9 and Race 12 were a part of the Late Pick 5. Rather than moving the wagering window up two races, you simply could not bet it. You could not even bet the Pick 3 or Daily Double for the Belmont Stakes. It created a terrible wagering menu and ruined the plans of horse players across the country.

Belmont Stakes day typically has the second-highest betting handle on the horse racing calendar year. Without the multi-race wagers available, bettors went elsewhere. Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park were the benefactors.

Saratoga's loss was a lot of other track's gain, as handle everywhere that wasn't @thenyra was up 13.8%. Goes to show when people have a plan to play the races they will play the races. @ChurchillDowns alone up $4.1M & @1st_racing together up $4M is insane to me. pic.twitter.com/bR7DhRW8Ba

— Ed DeRosa (@EJXD2) June 8, 2025

Sovereignty uses Rest to Romp in the Belmont

Sports fans everywhere were incredibly disappointed when Bill Mott and the rest of Sovereignty’s team chose to skip the Preakness and point the Kentucky Derby winner for the Belmont. That decision turned out to be the right one.

“It turned out good,” Mott said in the post-race interview with Tom Rinaldi. “If we wouldn’t have won today, we would’ve taken a lot of criticism. It turned out good. Sometimes you make the right decision, and a lot of times you make the wrong ones, but today really worked out well.”

Journalism made his initial move to take the lead as the horses exited the final turn. As they approached the 8th-pole, it was clear the Preakness winner did not have much left in the tank. Sovereignty was just getting started. He glided effortlessly past the pack to secure an easy victory.

What’s even more impressive about the win? Sovereignty was once considered a horse that needed a fast pace to set up his closing move. He sat right off the pace from the 2-spot before kicking into gear and making his final move. It’s bad news for any horse that tries to beat him in the Travers Stakes later this summer.

Keep an Eye on Tappan Street

Sovereignty’s dominance is giving me some personal validation, even if I didn’t cash a ticket on the horse during the Belmont.

In the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, I was prepared to make Tappan Street my winning choice. Unfortunately, an injury forced him to the sidelines. He underwent surgery and is expected to resume training later this summer, with a potential to return in the fall if rehab and training goes well.

Tappan Street is the last horse to beat Sovereignty, and he made it look easy in the Florida Derby. When he makes his return to racing, that’s a bet worth making.