The field is set for the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets to be held at 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga Race Course for the third consecutive year. Nine colts, including Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade, will line up for the third leg of the Triple Crown seeking the lion’s share of the $2 million purse. Five of the nine entrants competed in the Kentucky Derby, making this year’s edition of the Belmont Stakes a highly competitive and exciting event for race fans.
Here’s a look at the field from the rail out:
Vitruvian Man finished third last time out in the Santa Anita Derby for trainer Doug O’Neill with Antonio Fresu retaining the mount. The Vino Rosso colt enters with the longest morning-line price on the board at 30-1 as he seeks the first win of his 3-year-old campaign. Powershift, one of two Todd Pletcher entrants, finished runner-up to Belmont Stakes entrant Emerging Market by three-quarters of a length in their respective career debuts at Tampa Bay Downs. Powershift broke his maiden in his third career start on Kentucky Derby day at Churchill Downs in a maiden special weight race. Luis Saez replaces Irad Ortiz Jr., who opted to stay aboard Renegade. Chief Wallabee, the 3-1 morning-line second choice, finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Bill Mott and Junior Alvarado, who won last year’s Belmont with Sovereignty. Chief Wallabee finished second in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes and third in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa prior to the Kentucky Derby. Renegade, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, finished second by a neck last time out in the Derby for Pletcher. The Into Mischief colt won the Sam F. Davis Stakes and Arkansas Derby under Ortiz Jr., who retains the mount. Ottinho exits the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on April 4 at Keeneland, where he finished second by 11 lengths to Further Ado. Ottinho, a Quality Road colt, is one of three Chad Brown entrants and will have Dylan Davis aboard for the first time. Growth Equity, the second Brown entrant, has never finished out of the exacta, including a win last time out in the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont at the Big A. Manny Franco guided Growth Equity to a 4 ½-length maiden win in March at Aqueduct and will be reunited with him for the Belmont. Commandment finished seventh last time out in the Kentucky Derby after enduring a tough start and a troubled trip for trainer Brad Cox. The Into Mischief colt won the Fountain of Youth, like 2024 Belmont winner Dornoch and 2025 victor Sovereignty, as well as the Florida Derby prior to his bid in the run for the roses. Hall of Fame rider and Saratoga’s all-time winningest jockey John Velazquez will be aboard for the first time. Brown’s third entrant, Emerging Market, is the only horse in the field who has previously beaten Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo. Emerging Market won the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby before his eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Regular rider Flavien Prat will remain aboard for the fourth consecutive time. Golden Tempo drew the far outside post for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who would become the second female trainer to win the Belmont, joining Jena Antonucci (Arcangelo, 2023). Golden Tempo finished third in both the Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds before rallying from last to win the Derby. Jose Ortiz has been aboard the Curlin colt for every start of his career and retains the mount for the Belmont.
Analysis and Main Contenders:
Given the 1 ¼-mile distance at Saratoga, the striking similarities of Commandment to the previous two Belmont winners at this track and distance are hard to ignore. Both Dornoch and Sovereignty won the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park before going on to win the Belmont later in the year after running in the Kentucky Derby and skipping the Preakness. Commandment and Sovereignty, both progeny of Into Mischief, won the Fountain of Youth by a neck and have a similar running style. Like Dornoch, Commandment finished out of the money in the Derby after a troubled trip, and Dornoch bounced back to win the third leg of the Triple Crown. Commandment has shown tremendous talent and potential throughout his short career. After dominating a seven-furlong maiden special weight race at Churchill in his second career start, Commandment fired off three stakes wins in a row at the age of 3 when stretching out to route distances. In January, he dominated the Mucho Macho Man Stakes by 6 ¾ lengths when splitting horses on the final turn, then posted hard-fought victories by a neck in the Fountain of Youth and a nose in the Florida Derby. Both of those wins were over Chief Wallabee, who sits at a 3-1 morning line while Commandment provides tremendous value at 6-1. In the Kentucky Derby, Commandment had a slow start with a wall of horses trying to get over to the rail and was quickly shuffled back much farther than anticipated. Commandment was in a prime spot at the top of the stretch and went six wide, however right at the eighth pole he was bumped hard between horses and lost all momentum while still finishing 5 ¼ lengths behind the winner. In a much smaller field, Commandment should be able to stay closer to the pace. It is a meaningful positive that Velazquez will be aboard, as he has the most wins in Saratoga history with 1,054 as of June 3, 2026, which includes two Belmont Stakes wins. Velazquez also has 128 graded stakes wins at Saratoga (17%) all-time. It is rare for Cox and Velazquez to team up, which adds to the intrigue. Over the past five years, they just have two starts together at Saratoga with a win and a second. Commandment offers a ton of value at 6-1 for a Grade 1 winner who has the connections to help him regain his winning form.
Renegade is a colt with tremendous talent as well as the pedigree and connections to win this race. After finishing second by just a neck from arguably the toughest post position (No. 1) in the Kentucky Derby, Renegade should retain his top form for trainer Pletcher, who has four Belmont Stakes wins in his career in 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022. In three of those four wins he had two or more entrants as he does again this year with Powershift, a strong candidate to be the pacesetter for closing stablemate Renegade. Like the past two Belmont winners, Dornoch and Sovereignty, Renegade started his career at Saratoga and will return for the first time since that race. Renegade did not break his maiden until his fourth start at the age of 3 with a dominant win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs but subsequently continued an upward trajectory. Renegade showed elite ability in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, drawing clear to win by four lengths and earning a field-best 107 Equibase Speed Figure. Irad Ortiz Jr. will stay aboard, and apart from being the top rider in the nation with more than $17 million in 2026 earnings (after setting the North American earnings record last year), he has a proven connection with this Into Mischief colt. A win percentage above 20% for a jockey is already impressive, however Ortiz Jr. takes that to the next level by winning at a tremendous 23% in dirt route graded stakes races over the past year with 16 wins from 71 mounts. Renegade is a true distance runner and with the right pace scenario, presumably set by Powershift, he could live up to his morning-line favoritism with a Belmont win.
With three entrants, trainer Brown seems most likely to finish in the money or win with Emerging Market, who very likely will be far closer to the pace then Commandment or Renegade and will have Prat staying aboard, as he seemingly had the choice between the three Brown stablemates. Emerging Market started his career 2-for-2, debuting with a dirt route win at Tampa Bay Downs that earned a 79 Equibase Speed Figure. The Candy Ride colt improved off that performance to win the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby after a hard-fought stretch run by a head over Pavlovian with Golden Tempo in third. After racing 2 ½ lengths off the hot pace in the Kentucky Derby, Emerging Market faded to 10th while beaten by 7 ¾ lengths. He was immediately shipped to Saratoga after the Derby and pointed to the Belmont to train in upstate New York. In his most recent workout, Emerging Market breezed four furlongs in :48.40 on May 30, the second-fastest of 80 that day, and appears to be in excellent form with five weeks rest between races. Brown and Prat have always enjoyed much success together, but when teaming up in graded stakes races they are almost unstoppable. Over the past three years at Saratoga, they win at 33% in graded stakes together with 15 wins from 45 starts and a tremendous 73% in the money as well as a positive return on investment. Emerging Market is arguably the most formidable contender to be close to the pace, and in a race filled with no true early speed, it could make all the difference. Emerging Market could be the perfect horse to complete the exacta or trifecta with his running style and proven connections in Saratoga graded stakes races.
The rest of the field (with best Equibase Speed Figure in similar race): Vitruvian Man (86), Powershift (91), Chief Wallabee (99), Ottinho (93), Growth Equity (98), and Golden Tempo (100).
Win Contenders in Preference Order:
Commandment
Renegade
Emerging Market
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