2020 Belmont Stakes highlights Saturday race card

Triple Crown racing for the 2020 series gets underway on Saturday, June 20 with the running of the Belmont Stakes. This will be the first of three races this year for the top three-year old Thoroughbreds in the nation. The Kentucky Derby is next on Sept. 5 followed by the Preakness Stakes the first Saturday in October.

While the Belmont Stakes is the featured race of the day, Saturday’s entire card at Belmont Park is filled with great betting opportunities at your favorite online sportsbook. This lineup of major graded events also includes the Acorn Stakes and the Woody Stephens Stakes.

Acorn Stakes

This Grade 1 major stakes event is open to three-year old fillies. The race will be contested on the dirt track at Belmont covering a distance of one mile.

The early field for this race has seven entries listed as probable by Horse Racing Nation.

Venetian Harbor has the highest HRN rating in the projected field at 6.94. This three-year old Kentucky-bred filly is trained by Richard Baltas. She is coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park on May 1. This was her fourth finish in the money in four events.

The top value pick in this race could be trainer Bob Baffert’s Gamine. This highly touted Kentucky-bred filly has a HRN rating of 5.74. Her two victories in two races came in a Maiden Special Weight event at Santa Anita Park in early March and on May 2 in an Allowance Claimer at Oaklawn.

Woody Stephens Stakes

Open to three-year old Thoroughbreds, this Grade 1 event covers seven furlongs on the dirt at Belmont.

HRN has seven contenders listed as probable for this race. Mischevious Alex appears to be the horse to beat coming off a victory in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 3. Trained by John Servis, he opened his three-year old campaign with a victory at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 3 Swale Stakes. Busy as a juvenile, this son of Into Mischief has six runs in the money over seven events.

Another three-year old colt that should make some noise on Saturday is trainer Doug O’Neill’s Fore Left. Racing in Dubai, he won the Grade 3 UAE 2000 Guineas Stakes on Feb. 6. This was his fourth career victory in a total of nine races.


Update on 2020 Belmont Stakes Contenders


Belmont Stakes

The main event of the day for three-year old Thoroughbreds will be run at a distance of 1 1/8 miles. This is shorter than the traditional 1 ½ miles test the Belmont Stakes usually poses. The total prize purse is set at $1 million.

Right now, it looks like up to 10 horses will be gunning for the first jewel of the 2020 Triple Crown.

It also looks like it will be Tiz the Law against the field. Trained by Barclay Tagg, this three-year old New York-bred colt is listed as a heavy -140 favorite on the futures board at a few online sportsbooks.

The son of Constitution won this year’s Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream on March 28. He started 2020 by winning the Grade 3 Holy Bull at that same track. That was his fourth victory in five career events.

Other entries in the mix to finish in the money should be Tap It To Win (+500), Dr. Post (+800) and Sole Volante (+800).