WATCH: Gambling.com’s Steve Bittenbender Predicts The Belmont Winner
In the newest edition of “The Edge,” Gambling.com’s Steve Bittenbender offers his top pick to win the 2025 Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday, June 7.
The Belmont is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. It comes after the first leg, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, and then the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.
Bittenbender is a Louisville resident and longtime gaming and horse racing reporter. Last year, during an episode of “The Edge,” Bittenbender, before the 2024 Belmont, correctly predicted Dornoch, at 15-1 odds, would win the race.
This year’s Belmont features a competitive field that includes the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby—Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza—in that order.
Sovereignty skipped the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore two weeks later, meaning there would be no Triple Crown winner this year. Journalism ran in the Preakness and won it, setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Sovereignty in the Belmont.
During "The Edge" interview, Bittenbender says he likes Journalism and Sovereignty, before advising which of those two he would put his money on to win it all. He added that Rodriguez "is the biggest wild card of the bunch."
“If Rodriguez gets out early, it could be a race where he dictates the pace,” Bittenbender says. “So I will probably end up playing a couple of exotics with Journalism, Sovereignty, and Rodriguez.”
In addition to offering his picks on this year’s Belmont, Bittenbender comments on the current debate regarding the Triple Crown schedule. Some would like to see the race dates spread out more to give the horses time to recover. Others favor maintaining the current five-week span from the Kentucky Derby in early May to the Belmont in early June, saying that schedule is a test of greatness.
The 157th Belmont airs Saturday, June 7, on Fox. Post time is 7:04 p.m. ET.
Click Video For The Belmont Predictions
Post Position, Odds
1. Hill Road (10-1)
- Trainer: Chad Brown
- Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
2. Sovereignty (2-1)
- Trainer: Bill Mott
- Jockey: Junior Alvarado
3. Rodriguez (6-1)
- Trainer: Bob Baffert
- Jockey: Mike Smith
4. Uncaged (30-1)
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher
- Jockey: Luis Saez
5. Crudo (15-1)
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher
- Jockey: John Velazquez
6. Baeza (4-1)
- Trainer: John Shirreffs
- Jockey: Flavien Prat
7. Journalism (8-5)
- Trainer: Michael McCarthy
- Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
8. Heart of Honor (30-1)
- Trainer: Jamie Osborne
- Jockey: Saffie Osborne
Source: ESPN
2025 Triple Crown Schedule
- The Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, May 3
- The Preakness Stakes: Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland, May 17
- The Belmont Stakes: Saratoga*, New York, June 7
*Note: This race is being held in Saratoga as work continues on a $550 million upgrade at Belmont Park in Elmont on Long Island, just east of New York City. At Saratoga, the race is being run over 1 ¼ miles instead of 1 ½ miles at Belmont Park.
Get more information on Belmont Stakes betting from Gambling.com.
