Belmont Stakes 2023 Contenders: Odds, Jockey and Pedigree Info for Top Favorites

The 2023 Belmont Stakes is shaping up to be an intriguing race. There is no Triple Crown title on the line, as Kentucky Derby winner Mage finished third at the Preakness and won’t run on Saturday. However, a strong nine-horse field includes Preakness winner National Treasure.

This year’s field also features Red Route One, who finished fourth at the Preakness, and two top-five finishers from the Kentucky Derby—Angel of Empire and Hit Show.

However, the top favorite heading into the weekend is Forte, who was one of the Derby favorites before being scratched with a foot ailment. There are a few long shots as well, though it’s worth noting that no horse with odds longer than 12-1 has won the Belmont since 2013.

Of course, massive upsets do happen—no one has forgotten Rich Strike’s 2022 Kentucky Derby win as an 80-1 long shot—so dismissing any race team this weekend would be foolish.

We’re here to examine the favorites, though, with a quick look at the teams and pedigrees of all participants.

1. Tapit Shoes (20-1)

Pedigree: Tapit and Awesome Flower

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Jockey: José L. Ortiz

2. Tapit Trice (3-1)

Pedigree: Tapit and Danzatrice

Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher

Jockey: Luis Saez

3. Arcangelo (8-1)

Pedigree: Arrogate and Modeling

Trainer: Jena M. Antonucci

Jockey: Javier Castellano

4. National Treasure (5-1)

Pedigree: Quality Road and Treasure

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Jockey: John R. Velazquez

5. Il Miracolo (30-1)

Pedigree: Gun Runner and Tapit’s World

Trainer: Antonio Sano

Jockey: Marcos Meneses

6. Forte (5-2)

Pedigree: Violence and Queen Caroline

Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

7. Hit Show (10-1)

Pedigree: Candy Ride and Actress

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Jockey: Manuel Franco

8. Angel of Empire (7-2)

Pedigree: Classic Empire and Armony’s Angel

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Jockey: Flavien Prat

9. Red Route One (15-1)

Pedigree: Gun Runner and Red House

Trainer: Steven M. Asmussen

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Morning-line odds via BelmontStakes.com

Had Forte been healthy enough to run in the Kentucky Derby, we might be talking about a chase of the Triple Crown this weekend. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt was the early favorite at the Derby before being a race-day scratch. Coming into the Derby, Forte had won five straight races.

Forte didn’t run at the Preakness after being placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list. On Saturday, he’ll see his first racing action since the Florida Derby on April 1.

Pletcher had Forte on the track this past Saturday for a breeze, and the workout was encouraging.

“It was exactly what we were hoping he would go out there and do and I think based off the strength of his breezes, he’s coming into it as well as we hope,” Pletcher said, per a New York Racing Association press release.

Forte has a relatively favorable position in the No. 6 gate, though he may need to get out early to avoid getting stuck in the pack. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. should know how to steer the three-year-old, though, as he won last year’s Belmont Stakes atop Mo Donegal.

Tapit Trice is another Pletcher-trained colt, and he is a serious challenger to Forte. Both horses were on the track on Tuesday for a workout, and Tapit Trice reportedly impressed.

“Tapit Trice definitely was the more aggressive of the pair,” Mike Welsch of Daily Racing Form wrote. “He was eager to begin once given his cue and looked sharp galloping at a strong pace while kept out past the middle of the racetrack much of the way.”

Coming into the Kentucky Derby, Tapit Trice had won four consecutive races, including the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. However, a disappointing finish led to Pletcher keeping the horse out of the Preakness.

Jockey Luis Saez will likely need to get his mount out in front early to avoid being pinned inside at the rail. Like Ortiz, Saez knows how to win in Elmont. He won the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality.

Angel of Empire is one of three horses in the field to be trained by Brad H. Cox, who trained Essential Quality. The progeny of Classic Empire and Amony’s Angel had a strong third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby. He’ll need to advance from an outside position to win this race.

It’s worth noting that the two horses who finished in front of Angel of Empire in early May, Mage and Two Phil’s, won’t be in the lineup this weekend. Hit Show, another Cox-trained horse, is the only other top-five finisher from the Kentucky Derby in this weekend’s field.

Angel of Empire had two consecutive victories—including one at the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby—before his third-place finish at Churchill Downs. Cox believes that his contender is still improving too.

“He seems to continue to be developing,” Cox told Blood Horse. “He’s definitely getting bigger and stronger.”

Jockey Flavien Prat has never won the Belmont, but he won the 2019 Kentucky Derby with Country House and the 2021 Preakness Stakes with Rombauer. Prat had a second-place finish at the 2021 Belmont with Hot Rod Charlie.