The final Triple Crown race of 2025 is almost here.
The Belmont Stakes arrive on Saturday, and some of the most well-known horses in the sport will once again go head-to-head for a significant payout. While there won't be any horses vying for the triple crown — the Kentucky Derby winner, Sovereignty, didn't even participate in the Preakness — there will still be plenty of storylines to follow.
The final and oldest leg of the Triple Crown will come at Saratoga Race Course, where the winners of the last two legs, Sovereignty and Journalism, will be going head-to-head as the favorites once again. On Monday, post positions were revealed for the entire field.
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Here are the post positions and odds for the 2025 Belmont Stakes after Monday's draw.
MORE: How the 2025 Preakness Stakes had an exciting finish
Belmont Stakes post positions 2025
The eight-horse field received their post positions on Monday, with favorite Journalism (8-5), the 2025 Preakness Stakes winner, in the No. 7 spot. The second odds-on favorite and the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, Sovereignty, will be in the No. 2 spot.
Four of the horses from the Kentucky Derby field will also be participating in the Belmont Stakes, although Rodriguez was later scratched in Louisville. Only Journalism and Heart of Honor raced in the Preakness before also taking on the Belmont Stakes, and Journalism is the only horse that will have participated in all three Triple Crown legs.
Below are the post positions and odds for the Belmont Stakes.
| Post position | Horse | Odds |
| 1 | Hill Road | 10-1 |
| 2 | Sovereignty | 2-1 |
| 3 | Rodriguez | 6-1 |
| 4 | Uncaged | 30-1 |
| 5 | Crudo | 15-1 |
| 6 | Baeza | 4-1 |
| 7 | Journalism | 8-5 |
| 8 | Heart of Honor | 30-1 |
What is the best post position in horse racing?
Favorable post position varies by horse, so there's no true "best" position in horse racing. Horses that run better with more space may be better suited for an outside position.
However, the history of the Belmont Stakes says that the horse in the No. 1 spot wins most often, with a 20.3% win rate since starting gates were introduced. Because the field is usually within single digits, the worst post position (in terms of historic wins) tends to be No. 9, which has had just one winner.
Belmont Stakes winners by post position
In the long history of the Belmont Stakes, there have been winners from plenty of post positions. However, history also says that one position has won at a much higher clip: No. 1.
Since the race began using a starting gate, 24 horses in the No. 1 position have won. That's followed by No. 3, which has 16 wins, and No. 5, which has 15 wins. The least number of wins by a post position is one, which has happened for three different spots.
However, more recent history would caution against the No. 1 position. Since 2003, there has been just one winner out of the top post position, which was Justify in 2018. Last year's winner, Dornoch, raced out of the No. 6 spot.
Here's a look at the Belmont Stakes winners by post position.
| Post Position | Winners |
| 1 | 24 |
| 2 | 13 |
| 3 | 16 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 9 |
| 7 | 14 |
| 8 | 7 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 1 |
| 11 | 3 |
| 12 | 1 |
| 13 | 1 |