Whether you’re betting one of the major Grade 1 events of the year such as the Belmont Stakes or playing the daily racing card from a smaller track you’ll find plenty of action at BetOnline racebook. We go far beyond the big races and bring you action from all major tracks in North America and worldwide.

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Following the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes is the third and final of the Triple Crown races. The Belmont Stakes is held every June at New York’s Belmont Park race track. It is a Grade 1 stakes race run over a 1 ½ mile dirt track for three-year olds. The distance of the race is extremely significant for a number of reasons. This is invariably the longest distance that a three-year-old horse has ever faced.

In fact, few have ever gone more than the 1 ¼ Kentucky Derby distance. The distance itself can be an issue but it also produces a more tactical race with a slower pace. Once again, some horses just don’t have any prior experience in this type of race. Finally, some horses have to deal with the possibility of fatigue after a long prep season and the long distance and unfamiliar pace often compounds this difficulty.

As with most horse races, the most popular bet types are the traditional ‘win, place and show’ straight bets. These bets are the ‘bread and butter’ of any horse racing enthusiasts. A win bet as the name suggests is simply picking the winner of the race. A ‘place’ bet pays at a lower amount if the horse finishes first or second. Finally, a ‘show’ bet returns an even smaller amount if the horse selected finishes first, second or third.

After the huge field and often blistering pace of the Kentucky Derby followed by the two week turnaround to the Preakness the style of racing at the Belmont returns to a more typical form. Horses that ran in the Derby and skipped the Preakness come back after a reasonable break and are usually ready to run. ‘Shooters’ from the Preakness have either shown some class at Pimlico or get left in Maryland to run against a less competitive level of opposition.

A horse that has run in all three races can show the signs of fatigue but often the schedule has proven its resilience and quality as a competitor.

Exotic bets are popular for any horse race and especially a major event like the Triple Crown races. Some horse racing experts consider the Belmont particularly well suited to successful exotic handicapping. As we’ve discussed throughout, the Belmont Stakes is a longer and more tactical race than the two previous Triple Crown events. The smaller field and longer break between races makes for a more formful and orderly pace and style. This means that there’s less variance to deal with in the Belmont than in the Preakness and particularly the Kentucky Derby.

As is typically the case in a major horse racing event, the most popular exotic bets are the exacta (picking the first two finishers in correct order), the trifecta (picking the first three finishers in the correct order) along with the superfecta (top four finishers in correct order). Many part time handicappers struggle when they attempt to play exotics on a daily race card but have a much better chance with a field of the high level three-year olds that have all benefited from a strong level of opposition throughout their career.

Although horse racing is a year-round sport, many recreational players view the Belmont Stakes as the last significant race of the year. That’s far from the case, though a horse that has had a busy Triple Crown campaign might take a break. There’s not much futures wagering on the Belmont Stakes but if a few horses have caught your eye during the Triple Crown campaign you’ll want to keep your eyes open for futures odds on the Breeders’ Cup. You might be able to find an extremely competitive horse that ran strong in Triple Crown races getting a good price in one of the many relevant Breeders’ Cup races.

There is a bit of a misconception about the Belmont Stakes and more specifically about the 1 ½ mile distance. The perception is that the lengthy distance results in a ‘war of attrition’ where horses compete as much against the longest they’ve run in their career as well as the rest of the field. What’s interesting is that you seldom see a Belmont Stakes horse that just can’t handle the distance.

The reason for this is that horses that lack the requisite stamina and range will have likely struggled at the Kentucky Derby distance of a 1 ¼ mile and will have been re-focused onto sprints with distances well under a mile. In other words, horses that might have trouble handling the 1 ½ miles in the Belmont will seldom make it into the field.

Making the distance more manageable is the fact that the Belmont is a very tactical race usually run at a significantly slower pace than the two previous Triple Crown events. In a tactical race where the jockey has plenty of time to execute a strategy and go to a ‘Plan B’ if that doesn’t work you should be a bit more rigorous in this component of your handicapping.

In a tactical race you’re better off investing in a heady jockey that has a proven track record of thinking on his feet and making good mid-race adjustments.

Betting on horses is fast and easy here BetOnline. Just follow these steps!

Your three options to bet are Win, Place, and Show.

If you’re unfamiliar with horse betting, in a Win, you bet on the horse to win the Race. If you choose Place, you’re betting on your horse to come in 2nd, while betting on Show expects the horse to come in 3rd.

So what are you waiting for? Get in on the action today!