2022 Belmont Stakes horses, contenders, odds, date: Proven expert who called last 2 winners releases picks

Rich Strike was not even in the Kentucky Derby field two days before the race, but he took advantage of a late withdrawal and picked up one of the biggest upsets in horse racing history. He will return to the track on Saturday night at 6:44 p.m. ET for the 2022 Belmont Stakes after skipping the Preakness Stakes last month. Rich Strike is listed at 7-2 in the morning-line 2022 Belmont Stakes odds, a far cry from his 80-1 price tag at Churchill Downs. We The People is the 2-1 favorite, while Mo Donegal is 5-2 and Creative Minister is 6-1. Mo Donegal finished fifth at the Kentucky Derby and Creative Minister placed third in the Preakness. Should you be backing either of them with your 2022 Belmont Stakes bets? With so much to consider, you’ll want to see what SportsLine’s Jody Demling has to say before entering any 2022 Belmont Stakes picks or horse racing predictions of your own, considering his spectacular track record in this race.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the Belmont Stakes 2022 having nailed the winner of this race three of the last four years. He hit the exacta, trifecta, and superfecta in last year’s Belmont Stakes with Essential Qualiy. Two years ago, Demling said Tiz the Law was clearly the class of the field, and Barclay Tagg’s horse pulled away for a convincing 3 3/4-length victory. In 2018, he was all over Justify, jockey Mike Smith, and trainer Bob Baffert to make horse racing history at Belmont Park. The result: Justify became just the 13th Triple Crown winner ever, and anyone who followed Demling’s lead cashed in too.

He’s coming off a major heater in 2020: At one point, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world. He has hit 10 of the last 14 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but four times in the last 14 years. He’s also called nine of the last 18 Preakness winners, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset, and nailed this year’s Preakness trifecta. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with the Belmont Stakes 2022 approaching, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2022 Belmont Stakes predictions

One of Demling’s surprising 2022 Belmont Stakes picks: He is fading We the People, even though he is the 2-1 favorite to win Saturday night’s race. We the People is the most inexperienced horse in the 2022 Belmont Stakes field, having started just four races in his career. He has won three of those four races, including the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.

We the People fell flat at the Arkansas Derby in a race that did not feature much speed, finishing in seventh place after some training issues leading up to the race. His performance in that race led to him sitting out of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He will be facing a higher quality field than he is used to on Saturday night, so there isn’t much value backing him as a short favorite. 

How to make 2022 Belmont Stakes picks, bets

2022 Belmont Stakes horses, odds