Friday, June 5, 2026
DK Horse Acorn | Grade I | $500,000 | F3YO | 1 1/8 Miles | Dirt
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Belmont Stakes pres. by NYRA Bets | Grade I | $2,000,000 | 3YO | 1 1/4 Miles | Dirt
2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Schedule
Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Highlights
America’s Best Racing – Mike Curry – A Beginner’s Guide to the 2026 Belmont Stakes
Phil’s reprising Sal:
Sal says that while Phil was able to read and post select writings from the NY Times – The Rail Blog all we’re left with today is the NY Times – Hoppert and Drape – Belmont 2017: Our Predictions to Win, Place and Show.
Sal doesn’t want to shatter your illusions that thoroughbred racing is prospering when the amount of landscape that thoroughbred racing retains in the major and minor newspapers’ sports sections couldn’t grow a handful of radishes.
And in 2022 we may not even see as much as we did in 2017. And much of what we won’t see in 2022 is behind a internet pay wall where you pay with cash or personal information discouraging racing fans both new and old from reading it.
Sal’s reprising, but the message remains the same:
If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.
Charles Darwin
Sal’s not going to feed you any purported Darwin quotes about survival of the fittest, cuz most of what people who’ve never read any Darwin say he said he never said. But Sal says that unless thoroughbred racing evolves, adapts and vigourously competes it will go the way of the Blockbuster store.
An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
Charles Dickens
Phil has a question:
Did you notice that Phil and Sal were doing it long before Steve Kerr.
| Post Position | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | M/L Odds | Phil’s Odds |
| 1 | Vitruvian Man | Doug O’Neill | Antonio Fresu | 30-1 | 27.48 |
| 2 | Powershift | Todd Pletcher | Luiz Saez | 12-1 | 16.15 |
| 3 | Chief Wallabee | William I Mott | Junior Alvarado | 3-1 | 5.69 |
| 4 | Renegade | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 2-1 | 2.85 |
| 5 | Ottinho | Chad H Brown | Dylan Davis | 20-1 | 20.40 |
| 6 | Growth Equity | Chad H Brown | Manuel Franco | 12-1 | 11.29 |
| 7 | Commandment | Brad H Cox | John R Velazquez | 6-1 | 4.30 |
| 8 | Emerging Market | Chad H Brown | Flavien Prat | 6-1 | 5.69 |
| 9 | Golden Tempo | Cherie Deveaux | Jose Ortiz | 9-2 | 4.63 |
Secretariat – Steve Haskin – Reliving The 1996 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown
TDN – Steve Sherack – Kentucky Oaks Rematch in Acorn, One of Five Graded Stakes at the Spa Friday
TDN – T.D. Thornton – TDN Belmont Stakes Preview: And The Winner Is…
Bloodhorse – Lizzy Madden – Mott Eyes Back-to-Back Belmont Wins
The Haiku Handicapper – 2026 Belmont at Saratoga Acorn Day
To read previous editions of The Haiku Handicapper, click here.
#1 – Prom Queen
Was a tier beneath
The Oaks grads she’ll face today
Lone pace is lone hope
#2 – Counting Stars
Irad reunion
Can he find the extra gear
She lacked at Churchill?
#3 – Meaning
Steady progression
From her debut to today
Ought to continue
#4 – Maximum Offer
Lone non-Oaks runner
She’d have gotten clobbered then
She’ll get clobbered now
#5 – Always a Runner
No one’s beaten her
Will she get the pace to catch
In a five-horse field?
Prediction
The Oaks tri again
Always a Runner again
Then three, two again
Bloodhorse – Byron King – DeVaux Family Roots Run Deep Around Saratoga
Bloodhorse – Joe Perez – FOX Brings Viewership Options, Technology to Belmont
Avoid fried foods, which angry up the blood.
Satchel Paige
I learned to bet the Red Sox, the Celtics, Suffolk Downs. I thought it was a glorious life – pull up to the doughnut shop, spread out, and plan your day.
Alex Rocco
Paulick Report – Commandment Leads Brad Cox Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Brigade
DRF – Steve Andersen – Bottas looks to regain winning form in Pennine Ridge
Saratoga Special – Once more, with feeling
DRF – David Grening – Belmont 2026: Jose Ortiz’s bold move to leave N.Y. has paid off handsomely
My theory of evolution is that Darwin was adopted.
Steven Wright
TDN – Tim Wilkin – Belmont Notes: Baffert Offers Powerful Triumvirate for Belmont Stakes Undercard
For no temple can be justified without symmetry and proportion in its construction if it does not, like a well-formed human being, bear within itself a precisely executed law of arrangement.
Horse Race Insider – I HAD A DREAM THAT I WAS RIDING EVERY HORSE IN SATURDAY’S BELMONT STAKES
Bloodhorse – Lizzie Madden – Ways and Means Seeks Back-to-Back Bed o’ Roses Wins
TDN – Christina Bossinakis – Pennine Ridge Kicks Off Trio of Graded Stakes at the Spa Thursday
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.
Viggo Mortensen
Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Ag Bullet Aims for Repeat Victory in Jaipur Stakes
Music assists him in the use of harmonic and mathematical proportion.
Vitruvius
Bloodhorse – Karen M. Johnson – Crude Velocity Carries Momentum Into Woody Stephen
Bloodhorse – Karen M. Johnson – Vitruvian Man Represents New Twist on Ownership
Cities have sexes: London is a man, Paris a woman, and New York a well-adjusted transsexual.
Angela Carter
Bloodhorse – Belmont Festival: Cox to Send Out Eight Stakes Horses
People in China say: ‘If you love your children, send them to New York. If you hate your children, also send them to New York.
Li Na
Bloodhorse – America’s Best Racing – Patrick Reed – At a Glance Preview of the 2026 Matt Winn Stakes
Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Always a Runner Looks to Stay Unbeaten in Acorn
In a repressive society, a writer can be deeply influential, but in a society that’s filled with glut and repetition and endless consumption, the act of terror may be the only meaningful act.
Don DeLillo
Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Brisnet – Vance Hanson – Acorn, New York feature rematches from Derby week
Brisnet – Renegade favored over Golden Tempo in Belmont Stakes
Brisnet – Vance Hanson – Deep edition of Manhattan tops trio of Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga
TDN – Mike Kane – Back At The Spa, Journalism Has A New Assignment
Brisnet – Vance Hanson – Nysos heads stellar cast for Met Mile
Bloodhorse – Nysos, Journalism Throwdown on Deck in Met Mile
Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Derby Winner Golden Tempo Descends From Remarkable Mare
Paulick Report – Maria Borell Gets A Win In Kentucky Trainer’s License Dispute
America’s Best Racing – Patrick Reed – Meet the 2026 Belmont Stakes Jockey
I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.
Truman Capote
Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Journalism Seeks Stud Value Boost with Met Mile Win
DRF – David Grening – Nysos inside, Journalism outside for Metropolitan Handicap
DRF – David Grening – Belmont Stakes 2026: Brown running three horses, each for a different reason
How can you think and hit at the same time?
Yogi Berra
Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Renegade (2-1) Favored in Field of 9 for Belmont Stakes
DRF – David Grening – Belmont 2026: Commandment’s bandwagon emptied out after Derby seventh
Paulick Report – Undefeated Crude Velocity Headlines ‘High-Quality’ Edition Of Woody Stephens
What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?
Henry David Thoreau
The Ringer – Michael Pina – Wemby vs. the Knicks: Four Questions That Will Decide the NBA Finals
TDN – Tim Wilkin – Belmont Notes: Renegade Could Very Well be the Belmont Favorite
TDN – Mike Kane – Approaching Belmont, DeVaux Likes What Golden Tempo is Showing Her
Sometimes, all you can do is watch things burn, and wait for the ash to settle.
Jodi Picoult
Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Ocelli Skips Belmont, Targets Ohio Derby
DRF – David Grening – Kathynmarissa, Gezora meet again in Friday’s New York Stakes
The only rule I got is if you slide, get up.
Bill Lee
Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Golden Tempo Records Final Belmont Breeze at Keeneland
TDN – Derby Winner Golden Tempo Puts In Final Breeze Before Shipping For Belmont On Sunday
Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.
John Wooden
TDN – Preakness Winner Napoleon Solo Sold, Still To Target Haskell
TDN – Brown Will Take His (Three) Chances In The Belmont
Phil’s Reprising:
Horse racing has a great opportunity to step up our game and attract new fans. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness ratings showed people are interested in horse racing. Heck, my Gallery Furniture promotion shows that the Kentucky Derby and racing resonate with the guy and gal on the street.
We’ve got to attract younger people. We need to attract the followers of Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, Action Network. We need to embrace sports-betting content.
There is no easy fix. It takes commitment, effort and ingenuity. But our sport and industry are worth it. Excluding football games, the Kentucky Derby was the third-most watched sporting event since the pandemic hit in March 2020, trailing only the NCAA men’s basketball championship game won by Baylor and Gonzaga’s semifinal victory over UCLA, according to Sports Media Watch. That’s impressive.
The Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown and horse racing are still relevant. But you’ve got to flame the fire–and also be smart about where we bet. Cumulatively, it makes a huge difference.
TDN – Letter to the Editor from James McIngvale: Where You Bet Matters
Paulick Report – McIngvale: Where You Bet Matters
The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people.
Walt Whitman
Bloodhorse – America’s Best Racing – Mike Curry – Belmont Stakes by the Numbers
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Belmont Stakes May See a Powershift
You got to have smelt a lot of mule manure before you can sing like a hillbilly.
Hank Williams
One stops being a child when one realizes that telling one’s trouble does not make it any better.
Cesare Pavese
America’s Best Racing – Patrick Reed – 2026 Belmont Stakes Cheat Sheet
Paulick Report – Doug O’Neill Trainee Vitruvian Man Joins Belmont Stakes Probables
Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Chip Honcho, Potente Will Not Race in Belmont Stakes
The universe consists of 5% protons, 5% neutrons, 5% electrons and 85% morons.
Frank Zappa
TDN – Omaha Beach’s Desert Gate Airs in Texas Derby at Lone Star Park
Paulick Report – Myra Leywn – Heroic Move Strikes For Second Steve Sexton Mile Win
TDN – T.D. Thornton – Week in Review: ‘Off the Fence’ Angle Favors Renegade in Belmont Stakes
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo da Vinci
Bloodhorse – J. Keeler Johnson – Odds and Trends: Best Approaches for Preakness, Belmont
TDN – Brown And Mott Send Out Belmont Stakes Hopefuls On Saturday
Bloodhorse – Golden Tempo, Other Belmont Stakes Hopefuls Breeze
I love not man the less, but Nature more.
Lord Byron
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Commandment Works for Belmont; Further Ado to Matt Winn
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Kentucky Derby Alumni Loom Large in Belmont Stakes
Bloodhorse – Golden Tempo to Stand at Lane’s End Upon Retirement
Puttin’ on a cowboy hat & a pair of boots doesn’t make you country; Like puttin’ on a ball gown & glass heels won’t make me Cinderella.
Kellie Elmore
America’s Best Racing – Mike Curry – An Early Look at the Probable Field for the 2026 Belmont Stakes
America’s Best Racing – Mike Curry – Seventeen Fun Facts About the 2026 Belmont Stakes
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Powershift, Renegade Breeze; Both Could Race in Belmont
DRF – David Grening – Belmont Stakes 2026: Golden Tempo leads Derby runners expected for field
Bloodhorse – Belmont Possible for Peter Pan Winner Growth Equity
Paulick Report – Emerging Market Possible For Belmont Stakes After Losing Shoe In Kentucky Derby
TDN – No Preakness, But Belmont Possible, for So Happy
TDN – Patrycja Szpyra – Growth Equity Sterling in Peter Pan Victory, Belmont Start Not Guaranteed
Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Growth Equity Adds Victory in Peter Pan
TDN – Renegade Settles In At The Spa To Train Up For The Belmont Stakes
NYRA – Belmont Stakes Racing Festival contenders settling in at Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track
never doing
something before
is the best reason
to do something
for the first time
And the irony is that they wrote better without access to my quotes.
Steve Carlton
The Haiku Handicapper Presented By FanDuel Racing: 2026 Belmont Stake
To read previous editions of The Haiku Handicapper, click here.
#1 – Vitruvian Man
Can’t knock ambition
But I can knock his CV
Must show a new best
#2 – Powershift
“Other” Repole
Gonna be awkward if he
Runs a rabbit’s trip
#3 – Chief Wallabee
Workmanlike Derby
Is he overdue for one
Or a check-getter?
#4 – Renegade
Ran Derby’s best race
If recovered, his to lose
Tough break, price players
#5 – Ottinho
If pedigrees ran
He’d be Secretariat
Could sneak in somewhere
#6 – Growth Equity
Peter Pan winner
Whose hook will be pace-setting
Too many closers
#7 – Commandment
Johnny V’s a boost
But his best distance might be
Around nine furlongs
#8 – Emerging Market
Blame the shoe, buy stock
Blame experience gap, sell
Leaning toward latter
#9 – Golden Tempo
Union Avenue
Has tarnished many a shoe
Cinderella’s next?
Prediction
Derby redemption
Renegade gets his classic
Three, five fill the tri
Phil M. Stockmen