With the Belmont Stakes run at Saratoga Race Course over 1¼ miles instead of 1½, bettors are being offered a very different kind of race—one where positioning and trip can matter more than raw stamina. Long shots including Ottinho, Growth Equity, and Powershif
For the third consecutive year, the Belmont Stakes—the final jewel of the Triple Crown—will be run at Saratoga Race Course instead of Belmont Park, and at a distance that changes how the race plays out. On Saturday, June 6, the race will cover 1¼ miles, not the traditional 1½.
That temporary shift has again remade the Belmont from a stamina marathon into a Grade 1 that can hinge on where a horse lands early and how cleanly it navigates the trip. The most recent winners have tended to stay within roughly three lengths of the lead before making their move turning for home.
Favorites remain dangerous, but far from automatic. Renegade opened at 2-1 on the morning line, ahead of Chief Wallabee at 3-1 and Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo at 9-2. Since 2000, favorites have won only seven times and have completely missed the trifecta eight times.
Saratoga has also produced surprise winners that remind the field that momentum and circumstance can carry the day. Dornoch paid $37.40 for a $2 win ticket, and Arcangelo returned $17.80.
In that kind of environment, the long shots drawing interest this year aren’t just hoping for luck. They’re built around the way the race is expected to unfold.
For Saturday’s Belmont, the venue and schedule are set: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The broadcast windows include 10:30 a.m. (FS2 early coverage), 3 p.m. (Fox coverage), and a 7:04 p.m. post time. Fox, FS1, and FS2 are listed, with streaming available through Fubo (Stream Free Now!). Fox is also free over the air and available with a Fox One subscription.
In the field as of June 4, the listed runners include: Powershift, Chief Wallabee, Ottinho, Growth Equity, Commandment, Vitruvian Man, Emerging Market, Renegade, and Golden Tempo.
No. 5 Ottinho (20-1) has one of the most intriguing pedigrees in the group for those watching closely at the top of the betting board. The Chad Brown trainee is a half-brother to 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner. His recent runs suggest he may be starting to grow into the form associated with that bloodline.
Ottinho’s spring improvement culminated in a runner-up finish behind Further Ado in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. The Belmont’s 1¼-mile distance could also play directly into his strengths. with the race configuration giving him a path where two turns and positioning matter. The description of his past efforts is consistent: he has done his best work around two turns and has finished well even after stepping into stronger competition.
But the case isn’t one-sided. Ottinho has yet to win a stakes race, and both of his graded-stakes defeats came by sizable margins. He also lacks natural early speed compared with some of the other contenders. a factor that could force him to do more than a typical “near the front” horse if the pace develops slowly.
Still, Brown’s choice to bring Ottinho to this Grade 1 has led to a sense that the timing is right. Adding another wrinkle is the switch to jockey Dylan Davis. Over the last 60 days. Brown’s horses ridden by Davis have won five of 20 races. with 16 in-the-money finishes. producing a flat-bet profit of 49 cents for every $2 wagered to win.
No. 6 Growth Equity (12-1) is being viewed by handicappers as a horse that can benefit if the early tempo stays modest. Growth Equity’s key asset in this race is described as tactical speed—specifically. the ability to settle just behind the leaders and secure the kind of Saratoga Belmont trip that has worked recently.
His recent form supports the idea of a horse rounding into shape for this particular step up. The son of Nyquist enters off a convincing victory in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes. where he showed the ability to finish strongly after tracking the pace. His speed figure is described as improved in every start. leaving open the possibility that the best race is still ahead.
The question, as always, is whether the jump from Grade 3 into proven Grade 1 company is a bridge too far. He has never faced a field this deep, and the final furlong against elite rivals remains an unanswered test.
Even so, within the second tier of contenders, Growth Equity’s profile is presented as a strong match for a Belmont that may reward timing and the right moment to accelerate. If the pace unfolds as expected, he could be among the first to make a move when “the real running begins.”
Powershift (No. 2) is different in one critical way: the race setup could give him the rarest long-shot advantage—control early. Listed at 12-1, Powershift is described as the one horse in the Belmont who could find himself dictating terms from the moment the gates open.
That outlook shifts with a single development already baked into the scene: Chip Honcho skipped the race, leaving Powershift as the only true forwardly placed runner in a field loaded with stalkers and closers—though he’s not quite classified as a front runner.
The Belmont has rewarded horses who race close to the pace in recent years. Dornoch nearly led wire-to-wire two years ago, and last year’s Belmont was described as being dominated by horses racing close to the pace.
Powershift’s appeal goes beyond the pace picture. His Tampa Bay Derby flop came in only his second career start. off Lasix—race-day medication to prevent bleeding—after a troubled break and against stakes company for the first time. He rebounded later with a strong maiden victory on Kentucky Derby Day. earning a 94 Brisnet speed figure. the third-highest in the field. while also getting the exact stalking trip he is likely to enjoy again on Saturday.
If jockey Luis Saez can dictate the pace without overexerting Powershift. the rest of the field could eventually find itself chasing rather than setting the agenda. In a crop that’s described as lacking dominant stars. and in a race that’s also described as lacking speed. Powershift becomes a more dangerous long shot than his odds suggest.
That’s why his profile is framed as a boom-or-bust play in the win pool: either he’s able to carry that early rhythm and widen the gap when it matters most, or the field’s closers and stalkers make their charge and force the issue down the stretch.
Belmont Stakes 2026 Saratoga Race Course long shots Ottinho Growth Equity Powershift Chip Honcho Dylan Davis Luis Saez Renegade Chief Wallabee Golden Tempo