Betting Guide for the Belmont Derby

The Belmont Derby (not to be confused with the Belmont Stakes) is a prestigious thoroughbred horse race held yearly in the United States since 2014 at Belmont Park.

It’s one of the races that comprise the Stars and Stripes Festival and the Turf Triple series. The race showcases three-year-old turf horses and allows for trainers, jockeys, and bettors alike to try and pocket substantial winnings.

History and Significance of the Belmont Derby

The Belmont Derby is a relatively new entity in the thoroughbred horse racing world. The inaugural running of the race occurred on July 5, 2014. It became part of the Turf Triple Series – alongside the Saratoga Derby and the Jockey Club Derby – in 2019.

The race is a direct successor to the Jamaica Handicap, which ran for the first time in 1929 in the Jamaica district of Queens, New York City. It was held annually in October, and changed venues, lengths, and track surfaces multiple times before being reincarnated as the Belmont Derby.

The best time posted at the Belmont Derby in its current format is owned by Henley’s Joy, who won the race with a 1:58.29 time in 2019. Other notable past winners of the Belmont Derby include Jack Milton (2014), Deauville (2016), Oscar Performance (2017), Catholic Boy (2018) and Decorated Invader (2020).

Where to Bet on the Belmont Derby?

There’s several locations bettors can go to wager on the Belmont Derby – some physical, but many more online. These include:

• Mobile/Online Sportsbooks – Bettors will find odds for the Belmont Derby available at a range of online sportsbooks, allowing them to place bets from the comfort of their phone or desktop.

• Off-Track Betting Locations – Many regions offer designated locations for horse betting, where bettors can come together to wager on and watch simulcasts of horse races.

• On-Site – Fans on-site for the derby at Belmont Park will have the ability to place bets at designated locations.

Top Betting Sites for the Belmont Derby

Several sites exist for bettors in the United States looking to wager on the Belmont Derby. We recommend AmWager and TwinSpires as the two best options for online horse racing.

How to Bet on the Belmont Derby

Betting on the Belmont Derby can be a simple process, with only a few steps between deciding to bet and the wager being placed. Here’s how to bet on the Belmont Derby:

• Determine your Budget – Deciding how much you’re willing to allocate to betting is an unofficial, yet critically important first step of betting on any sporting event.

• Learn the Bet Types – Horse racing comes with several bet types that new bettors won’t immediately recognize. It’s important to know the markets to ensure that you’re making the bet you want to make – and there isn’t another bet available that you’d prefer.

• Do your Homework – Plenty of information about the competing horses will be available in the days leading up to the race. Learn what you can about each horse’s competitive history, any recent injuries, and the jockeys and trainers behind each horse.

• Decide on your Bets – Based on your analysis, choose the horse(s) you want to bet on and the type of bet you want to make on them.

• Decide on your Wager – Once your bet type is selected, you’ll have to determine the amount you want to wager on the bet.

• Confirm and Place your Bet – The final step of placing the bet is confirming, once your bet type and wager are set, that you agree to place the bet. This step will come with electronic confirmation from the operator at a mobile sportsbook, or other confirmation at either on-site or off-site betting facilities.

Types of Bets Available for the Belmont Derby

There are several different ways to bet on the Belmont Derby, ranging from straightforward bets on the winner of the race to complex bets that cover multiple outcomes at the top of the standings. Some of these bets include:

• Win – A bet on a specific horse to win the race.
• Place – A bet on a specific horse to finish first or second in the race.
• Show – A bet on a specific horse to finish first, second, or third in the race.
• Exacta – A bet on the two horses to finish first and second in a particular order.
• Trifecta – A bet on the three horses to finish first, second, and third, in a particular order.
• Superfecta – A bet on the four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth, in a particular order.
• Box – A variation of exacta, trifecta, or superfecta betting; the minimum wager increases, but the bet wins regardless of the order in which the horses finish the race.

This isn’t an exhaustive list; different racebooks may offer additional types or different variations of these bets. Still, these are standard horse racing bets that Belmont Derby regulars will recognize and most betting options will have available.

Betting Tips for the Belmont Derby

Betting on the Belmont Derby is a fun way to enjoy the event for both regular sports bettors and casual fans, but it can be intimidating for newcomers. Here are some pointers to help new bettors increase their odds of winning and enjoy their experience, whether or not they win:

• Set a budget – Before placing any bets, it’s vital that you have a budget set for the race and are comfortable with the total amount being wagered. Failure to budget can lead to chasing losses, which can lead to those losses being compounded.

• Research the participants – Each horse in the race will have information about their recent performances, injuries, trainer, and jockey publicly available. Taking time to look into the background of the horses can help with making informed bets.

• Understand the different bet types – There’s a range of ways to bet on horse races, including the Belmont Derby. Be sure you know what kind of bet you’re making, and that there isn’t a market available that more accurately reflects your predicted outcome and/or level of confidence in it.

• Watch the odds – As a horse race, the Belmont Derby utilizes parimutuel betting. Odds will change significantly as bets are placed, and keeping a watchful eye on the odds is the only way to notice changes in the favorites before betting closes.

Betting Odds at the Belmont Derby

Odds at the Belmont Derby might be notated in one of several ways – it’s important to know how to read these notations to understand what the odds are. These ways may include:

• Fractional Odds – Also known as traditional odds, fractional odds are represented as a numerator and denominator. Odds of 2/1, for example, indicate that you would win $2 for every $1 placed on a winning bet (not including the return of your initial $1 stake).

• Decimal Odds – Decimal odds represent the total payout of a bet, including the initial stake, where winnings are calculated by multiplying your wager by the decimal. Odds of 3.00 indicate that a winning $10 bet would return $30 total, including the stake and $20 in profit.

• Moneyline Odds – The type of odds most frequently seen at online sportsbooks regarding other sports, moneyline odds are notated with integer numbers. These can be negative for favorites, or positive for underdogs. Odds of -200 indicate that you’d need to wager $2 to return $1 in profit, while odds of +200 indicate that a winning wager of $1 would yield $2 in profit.