The Belmont Stakes — the final jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown — takes place this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
It's important to use a few different horses, even with two strong favorites, and try to hit something that can add value to your ticket and potentially cash on a trifecta or superfecta.
BlackJack's 2019 Belmont Trifecta, Superfecta Picks
All odds as of Friday night
No. 10 Tacitus
Tacitus was born to run this race, and I mean that literally. He is a New York bred horse and was trained and brought up on New York racetracks. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott employs a perfect stalking style to fit the monstrous oval at Belmont Park.
Tacitus is a son of Tapit, the sire of three of the past five winners of the Belmont Stakes: Tonalist (2014), Creator (2016) and Tapwrit (2017). I think Tacitus must be in any and all exotics.
No. 8 Intrepid Heart
This is another son of Tapit, and he has been training beautifully at Belmont leading up to the big day. He has some buzz around him, which can sometimes be worrisome, but his connections are outstanding with Todd Fletcher training and John Velazquez riding. A solid play.
No. 4 Tax
Tax was on the same trail as Tacitus to the Kentucky Derby and they became something of rivals along the way. Tacitus was the better of the two, but Tax held his own at Aqueduct during prep season. With Irad Ortiz in the saddle and familiarity with Tacitus, I expect Tax to hit the board at a good price.
No. 2 Everfast
Like Tax, Everfast can add some real value to your trifecta ticket and he has the benefit of a great finish at Pimlico in the Preakness. If Everfast runs a similar race, he will be there at the wire. Everfast's running style suits "The Big Sandy" and its endless stretch, so he is an interesting candidate to hit the board.
2019 Belmont Stakes Odds
No. 1: Joevia (30-1)
No. 2: Everfast (12-1)
No. 3: Master Fencer (8-1)
No. 4: Tax (15-1)
No. 5: Bourbon War (12-1)
No. 6: Spinoff (15-1)
No. 7: Sir Winston (12-1)
No. 8: Intrepid Heart (10-1)
No. 9: War of Will (2-1)
No. 10: Tacitus (9-5)
