Mike Smith Belmont Stakes Pick 2023: Triple Crown-Winning Jockey Reveals Test Of Champions Best Bet

mike E SMITH
mike E SMITH

You can see below the Mike Smith Belmont Stakes pick as the three-time winning jockey of the Run for the Carnations lifts the lid on the horse he feels has the best chance of winning the final US Triple Crown race this Saturday.

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Mike Smith Belmont Stakes Pick 2023 | Triple Crown-Winning Jockey Reveals Belmont Best Bet

mike smith

Mike Smith has landed the Belmont Stakes three times over the years, including in 2018 on Triple Crown hero Justify (more below). He’s not riding in the race this year but will be seen on Fox Sports covering the 155th running of the big New York contest.

Smith has lifted the lid on which horse he feels has the best chance of winning the 2023 Belmont Stakes.

FORTE was meant to go off as the 2023 Kentucky Derby favorite, but the Todd Pletcher horse was controversially scratched from the race just hours before due to a vets examination.

However, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt, who has won 6 of his 7 career starts has been back on the track working well and will be hoping to make amends in the final US Triple Crown race – the Belmont Stakes – this Saturday in New York.

We last saw Forte winning the Florida Derby in early April and having beaten Mage that day, who went onto win the Kentucky Derby, the form looks rock solid and the three-time winner of the Belmont Stakes – MIKE SMITH – agrees.

Mike Smith, who doesn’t have a ride in the race and will be working for Fox Sports, told americasbestracing.net that despite the small layoff the Todd Pletcher would have made up for the time away from the track. “Todd Pletcher is the trainer. To me, I have a lot of faith in him. I think Todd makes up for the layoff.”

Then when Mike Smith was simply asked – who will win the Belmont Stakes?

His reply was “To me, the best horse in the race is Forte. His résumé says so over and over again. That’s not to say that the others can’t do it. They’re in the Belmont for a reason. They have a lot of talent. But if we see the Forte we’ve seen in the past, to me he’s just superior.”

You can back the Mike Smith Belmont Stakes pick below with BetOnline below.

WATCH: Forte Winning The 2023 Florida Derby

Mike Smith Won The Belmont Stakes Three Times as A Jockey

Mike Smith is still riding at the age of 57, but you feel his career in the saddle is coming to an end and with Fox Sports, who have taken over from NBC to show this year’s Belmont Stakes, snapping up Smith then a switch in front of the cameras might not be far off.

Over the years Smith has mopped up three Belmont Stakes wins, so his thoughts ahead of the race on Saturday will be valuable to Fox viewers.

Smith’s successes in the Belmont came in Drosselmeyer in 2010, Palace Malice in 2013 and most recently in 2018 when he guided home the Bob Baffert-trained Justify to land the Triple Crown that year – leading from pillar-to-post.


RELATED: Tapit Belmont Stakes Winners – The Sire With Superb Recent Record


When is the Belmont Stakes 2023?

The 2023 Belmont Stakes will be run on Saturday June 10 at Belmont Park racetrack in New York.

📅Time/Date: 7:02pm (ET), Saturday June 10, 2023
🏇Racecourse: Belmont Park, Elmont, New York
💰 Purse/Winner: $1.5m / $800,000
📺 TV: Fox Sports, FS1, FS2 (Stream: Sling TV, Fubo)
🎲 Belmont Stakes Odds: Forte 5/2 | Tapit Trice 3/1 | Angel Of Empire 7/2 | National Treasure 5/1

2023 Belmont Stakes Betting Odds

Note: Others on request and odds subject to change


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