Just two horses in the 2024 Belmont Stakes field also ran in the Preakness, Triple Crown race winners Mystik Dan and Seize the Grey. That means these two colts have only three weeks of rest, while the other eight 2024 Belmont Stakes horses have had at least four weeks off. Despite their past accomplishments, does being on short rest make those two horses to fade in your 2024 Belmont Stakes picks? Neither Mystik Dan nor Seize the Grey have ever attempted a race of at least 1 1/4 miles with this few weeks of rest.
Even with that, they are mid-shots in the latest 2024 Belmont Stakes odds, with Mystik Dan at 5-1 and Seize the Grey at 8-1. They only trail the Belmont Stakes 2024 favorite, Sierra Leone (9-5), and Mindframe (7-2) for Saturday’s run at Saratoga Race Course The 2024 Belmont Stakes post time is 6:41 p.m. ET. Before making any 2024 Belmont Stakes predictions, you’ll want to see elite horse racing handicapper Jody Demling’s 2024 Belmont Stakes picks and analysis.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Belmont Stakes having nailed the Derby-Oaks double 11 of the last 16 years. He also predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years and called 10 of the last 20 Preakness winners, including 2023 when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta as well as the trifecta in 2024. Anybody following him in those races saw huge returns.
Now, with the Belmont Stakes 2024 approaching, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Click here to see his picks for the third leg of the Triple Crown.
2024 Belmont Stakes predictions for Mystik Dan, Seize the Grey and Sierra Leone
Demling has locked in his picks for Seize the Grey, who just won the Preakness. That win came two weeks after a G2 Pat Day Mile victory, so the horse is used to a quick turnaround. Also in Seize the Grey’s favor is that he drew the rail for Saratoga, and the No. 1 post has both the most winners and the highest winning percentage in Belmont Stakes history. However, the horse won’t control the pace like he did at the Preakness as the Belmont has much more speed in it than what he saw at Pimlico.
Just four horses had speed figures of 100-plus at the Preakness, but eight have such speed figures for the Belmont. Having a four-time Belmont winner in trainer D. Wayne Lukas is definitely a plus for Seize the Grey, but neither his jockey nor owner have had a previous Belmont starter. On Saturday, Seize the Grey will look to become the eighth horse to skip the Kentucky Derby but then win both the Preakness and Belmont, with the last coming over 100 years ago with Pillory (1922). See Demling’s prediction for Seize the Grey here.
Demling has also locked in his 2024 Belmont Stakes picks for Mystik Dan, who won the Kentucky Derby by a nose in an epic finish. He followed that up with a second-place finish in the Preakness Stakes behind Seize the Grey.
Mystik Dan will be the first horse since War of Will in 2019 to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown. He has been running well on a month’s rest, so he could have another strong finish at the Belmont Stakes 2024. See Demling’s prediction for Mystik Dan here.
Sierra Leone is the favorite for the Belmont Stakes, despite the field featuring Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness winner Seize the Grey. Trained by Chad Brown, Sierra Leone won the Risen Star and Blue Grass Stakes before finishing second by a nose in the Kentucky Derby. He drew the No. 9 post position in the 10-horse Belmont Stakes field, and this race will be run at the same distance as the Kentucky Derby.
Sierra Leone is a late closer, so the smaller field means there are fewer horses for him to track down at the end. He skipped the Preakness Stakes, giving him a rest advantage over some of the 2024 Belmont Stakes horses. However, there will be new contenders for him to deal with, including Mindframe, Antiquarian, and Wine Steward. See Demling’s prediction for Sierra Leone here.
How to make 2024 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
Demling is also high on a double-digit longshot who will be “right there” in the end. Anyone who backs this horse could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Who wins the Belmont Stakes 2024? And which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Belmont Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the 2024 Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who nailed trifecta at the Preakness and called four of the last six Belmont winners.
2024 Belmont Stakes horses, odds
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