Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [June 7-June 8]
Hill Road training at Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher)
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Get ready for horse racing this weekend
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets, tournaments, key races, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
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Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend
The key horse races this weekend to focus your best bets on with top horses include a loaded card at Saratoga, Churchill Downs, and one notable international race.
With the last leg of the Triple Crown upon us, this weekend is packed with potential with the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, a packed undercard with great Saratoga picks, horse racing at Churchill Downs, and international interest with the Epsom Derby on the British racing circuit. Check out all the content to below to prepare for each race!
RELATED: Where to Watch the 2025 Belmont Stakes: Date, Time, Live Stream & TV Schedule
Click to jump to each race listed!
Best Bets for the 2025 Mighty Beau Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Betting exotics in the 2025 Mighty Beau Stakes
It’s not every day you see a Kentucky Derby (G1) alumnus entered in a five-furlong turf sprint, but Saturday’s $225,000 Mighty Beau S. at Churchill Downs features such a situation.
Mighty Beau Stakes wagers
- $6 Exacta: 5 with 2,3,7 ($18)
- $6 Exacta: 2,3,7 with 5 ($18)
- $1 Trifecta: 5 with 2,3,7 with 2,3,7 ($6)
- $1 Trifecta: 2,3,7 with 5 with 2,3,7 ($6)
Total: $48
Top Horses for the 2025 Mighty Beau Stakes
#5 Epic Ride (9-2), the 14th-place finisher from the 2024 Kentucky Derby. The four-year-old colt has since reconfigured into a capable sprinter and has a good chance to shine in the Mighty Beau.
#1 Champlin (4-1) and #7 Joe Shiesty (5-1), then use his stamina to wear down the leaders in the homestretch. We recommend keying Epic Ride to finish first or second in exacta and trifecta tickets.
Joe Shiesty is a dangerous pace player who won the 5 1/2-furlong William Walker S. over the Churchill Downs turf course last year. He has a shot to finish in the top three alongside #2 Arrest Me Red (5-2) and #3 Run Carson (7-2). The latter two are dropping in class after running fourth and seventh in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Downs last month.
2025 Belmont Stakes Horses: Full List of Contenders & Entries
The 2025 Belmont Stakes (G1) is fast approaching, and excitement is building around the final field of contenders. With Saratoga Race Course hosting this year's race due to renovations at Belmont Park, the lineup features a mix of proven stakes winners and rising stars, all aiming to claim victory in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Below is the complete list of 2025 Belmont Stakes horses and top contenders, including their official entries, post positions, morning line odds, trainers, and jockeys. Stay tuned as we track any last-minute changes ahead of race day on June 7.
Best Bets for the 2025 Matt Winn Stakes
Read the full analysis here: How to bet the 2025 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs
A stellar field has entered Sunday’s $400,000 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs. Five of the seven entrants are alumni from the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1).
Whereas the Kentucky Derby took place over 1 1/4 miles, the Matt Winn is only 1 1/16 miles. The shorter distance should suit #6 Coal Battle (9-2), the fourth choice on the morning line, but our top choice to prevail.
Matt Winn Stakes wagers
- $18 to win on #6 Coal Battle
- $6 Exacta: 6 with 5,7 ($12)
- $1.50 Trifecta: 6 with 5,7 with 3,5,7 ($6)
Total: $36
Churchill Downs (Photo by TwinSpires.com / Credit to Jessica Piatt)
Pick 3 of the Week: Churchill Downs Saturday June 7, 2025
A fun three-race sequence in the middle of the Churchill Downs card on Saturday will comprise the Pick 3 of the Week.
Race 5 Wager
- $1 Pick 3: 1,5,7 with 8,11 with 1,2,4,5 ($24)
Top Horses for the 2025 Mighty Beau Stakes
#6 Coal Battle is bred for speed, and he starred in short routes on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. He won the one-mile Remington Springboard Mile, 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones S., and 1 1/16-mile Rebel (G2) in succession while employing a wide variety of running styles. Along the way, he beat future stakes winners like Sandman, Speed King, and Kale’s Angel.
Coal Battle hasn’t fared as well over longer trips. In the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby (G1), he stayed too close to a blazing pace before weakening to finish third against stretch-running Sandman. Then in the Kentucky Derby, Coal Battle rated in midfield, passed a few horses, and flattened out to finish 11th.
#1 Gaming (5-1) and #7 East Avenue (4-1), the only obvious speed horses in the field, and then pounce to victory under new jockey Corey Lanerie, who has gone 2-for-3 (67%) teaming up with trainer Lonnie Briley over the last two months.
#5 Burnham Square (7-2) and #7 East Avenue (4-1). They were separated by a nose when finishing 1-2 in the Blue Grass (G1), and then they came home a few lengths apart when sixth and eighth in the Kentucky Derby. Burnham Square is perhaps the better horse, but he’s a deep closer, and there isn’t a ton of pace in the Matt Winn field. That could lend an edge to East Avenue, who is formidable when able to secure an uncontested lead.
#3 Chunk of Gold (6-1), runner-up in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and ninth in the Kentucky Derby. He enters off a bullet half-mile workout at Turfway Park, and the fact that he’s shown a bit more tactical speed than deep-closing Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher #2 Final Gambit (5-2) should give Chunk of Gold a fair chance to crack the Matt Winn top three.
Hill Road swept from well off the pace in the Peter Pan (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
The Best Longshot to bet in the 2025 Belmont Stakes
Saratoga Race Course will play host to the $2 million Belmont S. (G1) for the second consecutive season in 2025, and this edition of the race is one of the strongest in recent memory. The top-three finishers of the Kentucky Derby – Sovereignty, Journalism, Baeza – are all on board, and five other talented sophomores join them in what should be a fantastic spectacle.
RELATED: 2025 Belmont Stakes Odds, Top Contenders & Betting Favorites
Betting the 2025 Belmont Stakes on Different Budgets
The third leg of the Triple Crown series has attracted a fantastic field of eight three-year-olds to run 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga on Saturday. The $2 million Belmont S. (G1) will be contested in upstate New York for the second year in succession and will feature Kentucky Derby (G1) star #2 Sovereignty (2-1), impressive Preakness (G1) S. hero #7 Journalism (8-5) who was second in Louisville, and #6 Baeza (4-1) who was a closing third in the Run for the Roses. For the first time since 2013, each of the top-three Derby finishers will compete in the race, making the spectacle even that much more exciting.
$25 Budget
- 50-cent superfecta 2 with 1,6,7 with 1,6,7 with all ($15)
- 50-cent superfecta 2,7 with 2,7 with 1,6 with all ($10)
$50 Budget
- $20 trifecta 2 with 7 with 1,6 ($40)
- $5 trifecta 2 with 1,6 with 7 ($10)
$75 Budget
- $5 superfecta 2 with 1,6,7 with 1,6,7 with 1,6,7,8 ($60)
- 50-cent superfecta 7 with 1,2,6 with 1,2,6 with all ($15)
Dornoch wins the 2024 Belmont S. (G1) during Belmont at Saratoga (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Credit to Jetta Vaughns)
STUDY: Is skipping the Preakness beneficial for Belmont horses?
We’ve all seen the statistics: Kentucky Derby (G1) starters who skip the Preakness (G1) to target the Belmont (G1) win the Triple Crown’s final leg with regularity. This strategy has proven successful on 10 occasions since 2004, and it’s by far the most common preparation approach employed by Belmont winners these days.
But does skipping the Preakness give these horses an advantage in the Belmont? Or has this prep approach simply become so widespread that victories are inevitable? Without knowing how many Kentucky Derby starters skip the Preakness to await the Belmont, as opposed to how many horses run in all three Triple Crown races, comparing the success rates of the two strategies is meaningless.
2025 Belmont Stakes Odds, News, and Notes
The last leg of the Triple Crown is almost here. What an exciting race it is shaping up to be as the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, and Preakness winner go to head-to-head, alongside other worthy contenders. To prepare, TwinSpires brings you their 2025 Belmont Stakes odds, news, and notes so you can stay informed and be prepared to place your best bets this coming Saturday!
You can find all the details of the day below, including handicapping material, expert picks, in-depth analysis, Acorn Stakes Day and Belmont Stakes Day schedules, and much more.
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades for Belmont weekend, June 6-7
The TwinSpires Jury of James Scully, Ashley Anderson, and Darin Zoccali defend their best bets and fades for Belmont Stakes weekend at Saratoga.
RELATED BELMONT CONTENT
- Belmont Stakes Head-to-Head: Sovereignty versus Journalism
- 2025 Belmont Stakes purse: How much prize money the winning jockey will earn
- 2025 Belmont Stakes purse: How much prize money the winning owner and trainer will earn
- Everything to know about the 2025 Belmont Stakes post positions
- 2025 Belmont Stakes: Journalism pegged at 8-5, Sovereignty 2-1 on morning line
- 2025 Belmont Stakes: Which horses are bred to handle the distance?
- 2025 Belmont Stakes Roundup: Journalism, Sovereignty set for rematch
- 2025 Belmont Stakes Speed Rating Report
- Scully: Pick 3 play on Belmont Stakes Day
- Top 10 storylines for 2025 Belmont Stakes Day
Epsom Derby
Epsom Downs scene in England (Photo by Horsephotos.com/Frank Sorge)
Epsom Derby, Belmont Stakes Double a bet worth having
The New York Racing Association announced this week that on June 7, it would offer a special transatlantic Double wager linking two of the world’s oldest and most prestigious classics: the Derby (G1) at Epsom and the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga. Takeout on the special Double will be 18.5%.
The Derby, contested over 1 1/2 miles on turf and the race from which all similarly named worldwide equivalents descend, will be run at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Belmont, which will be held at a reduced distance of 1 1/4 miles for the second consecutive year while its home track continues to be refurbished, has a scheduled post time of 7 p.m.
Epsom Downs scenic (Photo by Horsephotos.com/Frank Sorge)
2025 Epsom Oaks: Giselle, Elwateen have appeal at a price
Godolphin’s #1 Desert Flower (6-5) brings an unbeaten record into Friday’s Oaks (G1) at Epsom, but will she be as effective on the step up to 1 1/2 miles?
Scenic view of Epsom Downs (Photo by Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com)
International spotlight: 2025 Epsom Derby
After longtime antepost Derby (G1) favorite #17 The Lion in Winter (6-1) met with a setback that roiled his spring plans, his Aidan O’Brien stablemate #3 Delacroix (5-2) took over as the market leader.
Yet there’s still some fluctuation near the top, signifying that there’s not overweening confidence in Delacroix. Godolphin’s 2000 Guineas (G1) star #13 Ruling Court (3-1) was briefly a market mover until he started to drift. Now, Ralph Beckett’s Dante (G2) upsetter #11 Pride of Arras (5-1) is gaining steam.
Let’s examine their credentials and the re-opposing rivals who could improve at Epsom.
Epsom Downs scenic (Photo by Horsephotos.com/Frank Sorge)
2025 Epsom Derby: Looking past Coolmore and Godolphin
Having not found a price play compelling enough to take on the favorites in either the Coronation Cup (G1) or Oaks (G1) on Friday's card at Epsom, that leaves the Derby (G1) on Saturday as the sole British race I'll be focused on this weekend, and the last before my annual attack on Royal Ascot later this month.
The 1 1/2-mile Derby has attracted an unusually large field of 19, no great surprise as the prep season yielded no particular standout. Coolmore and Godolphin come equipped with the more fancied runners, of course, but distance questions surrounding their top players lead me to look elsewhere for value.
Welcome to Belmont Stakes 2025!
Our LIVE coverage will begin at 1:30 PM EST.
Thank you to everyone that joined us today for this great day of racing, especially our expert panel with all their in-depth commentary and handicapping. Congratulations to all those winning bets and Sovereignty, winner of the Belmont Stakes 2025! We'll see you next time!
Winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont (G1) without adding the Preakness (G1) in between has become a rare achievement. Sovereignty became the first horse since Thunder Gulch in 1995 to complete this particular double, though in the years in between, American Pharoah and Justify won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont as part of their Triple Crown sweeps.
Check out all TwinSpires Tournaments has to offer. Race to victory with us and make some money along the way. Check out our current tournaments to get started!
Unofficial Results
1st Sovereignty
2nd Journalism
3rd Baeza
Good Luck to all those betting!
Today's racing action doesn't end with the Belmont! Many other tracks are racing this evening. Check out my picks for night racing at Charles Town, Prairie Meadows, and Tokyo Racecourse.
Also, the Summertime Oaks (G2) at Santa Anita is coming up in about 25 minutes, and I've recommended a cold daily double bet to play.
Saturday’s 157th running of the Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. With a purse of $2 million up for grabs, it ranks among the richest Thoroughbred horse races in North America.
Have you ever wondered how the Belmont purse is distributed? How much of the $2 million does the winning owner take home? How about the winning trainer? We have the answers.
Who is Kaitlin Free choosing to win the Belmont Stakes? Find out below!
In a rematch of the top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby (G1), I'm supporting runner-up #7 Journalism (2-1) to turn the tables on the victorious #2 Sovereignty (5-2).
Journalism didn't get the cleanest run in the early stages of the Derby and also raced significantly closer to a hot early pace. He's since bounced back to win a traffic-filled edition of the Preakness (G1) in spectacular fashion, and a sharp workout at Saratoga on Sunday suggests Journalism is ready to deliver another giant run in the Belmont.
My second choice is #6 Baeza (7-2), the third-place finisher from the Kentucky Derby. He ran into traffic around the far turn of the Derby, but regrouped to rally late and finish only a neck behind Journalism. This rapidly improving half-brother to 2024 Belmont winner Dornoch has more tactical speed than Sovereignty and may step forward enough to snatch second prize from the Derby winner.
Sovereignty warrants much respect off his stretch-running triumph at Churchill Downs, but I believe he received the best trip and pace setup of the top three finishers that day.
Belmont selections
1st: Journalism
2nd: Baeza
3rd: Sovereignty
Welcome to Friday of Belmont Weekend!
Thank you to everyone that joined us today to celebrate Friday's Belmont Festival, especially our expert panel. Join us again tomorrow as one lucky contender will be awarded the last jewel of the Triple Crown. It's sure to be an interesting day of racing with a lot of great talent.
Thank you to everyone. See you tomorrow!
Opt in to receive up to $10 back on your first single horse Win bet if your horse runs 2nd or 3rd in all eligible races at Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th.
Great payout for the end of stakes racing today.
Excellent Truth, of course, has strong form in Europe over ground listed as low as heavy, but who else in the Just a Game (G1) might like today's turf conditions? Special Wan's maiden win two summers ago at Leopardstown catches the eye. Although listed as only "yielding," Special Wan covered 6f that day in an absurdly slow 1:22 and change, which suggests it was far deeper than that designation. Special Wan is conceding class here, but as we've seen track and course conditions can be an equalizer in high-level races like this.
Belmont is just around the corner! Are you ready to place your best bets using the 2025 Belmont Stakes Official Betting Guide? Get an in-depth view of all the Belmont S. contenders, tipsheets, Brisnet Speed Rating reports, handicapping content, expert picks, and more from our panel of experts.
For horse enthusiasts this is definitely not just a game, but a lifestyle. Who are you betting on for the Just a Game Stakes as our last race for this Friday evening?
Opt in to receive up to $10 back on your first single horse Win bet if your horse runs 2nd or 3rd in all eligible races at Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th.
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