After winning the Belmont Stakes with Sarava in 2002, trainer Kenny McPeek did not have a top-three finisher in the race again until Atigun a decade later. The 59-year-old is hoping a 10-year span is a charm again when Creative Minister runs in the 2022 Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Listed at 6-1 in the 2022 Belmont Stakes odds, Creative Minister is McPeek’s first entry in the Triple Crown race since 2017, when Senior Investment finished fifth. We the People is the 2-1 favorite in the 2022 Belmont Stakes odds, while Mo Donegal is 5-2. Rich Strike, who won the Kentucky Derby as an 80-1 long shot, is 7-2 among the Belmont Stakes 2022 horses. Post time for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont 2022 is 6:44 p.m. ET. Given the shocking Triple Crown season thus far, you’ll want to see what astute racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Belmont Stakes picks.
Few people in racing are as connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
She also has tremendous handicapping chops. In the 2011 Kentucky Derby, she correctly tabbed Animal Kingdom to win at a hefty 21-1. In the 2017 Breeders’ Cup, she nailed 11-1 long shot Wuheida to win the Filly and Mare Turf. Last year, in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. And in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager this year, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Belmont Stakes field, made her picks and constructed her bets. Go to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2022 Belmont Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu likes what she sees from the Todd Pletcher-trained filly Nest, even though she’s a long shot at 8-1. She has finished no worse than third in her six career starts, winning four times, and already has earned over $850,000 for owners Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House.
Nest, who was runner-up in the Kentucky Oaks last month, posted a five-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile race at Belmont Park in her debut last September and has been bred to succeed at the 1 1/2-mile distance of the Belmont Stakes. “Her sire (Curlin) and damsire (A.P. Indy) scream stamina, and her full brother (Idol) loves the classic distance,” Yu told SportsLine. She is using Nest prominently in her 2022 Belmont Stakes wagers.
How to make 2022 Belmont Stakes picks, bets
In addition, Yu is high on a double-digit long shot who “has done nothing but compete every time.” She is including this horse in her 2022 Belmont Stakes bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2022 Belmont Stakes bets? What double-digit long shot is a must-back? And what does Yu think of every horse in the race? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Belmont Stakes, and find out.
