Belmont Stakes 2021 Contenders: Odds, Jockey and Pedigree Info for Top Favorites

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Flavien Prat was the jockey who guided Rombauer to victory at the Preakness Stakes less than three weeks ago. The colt made a late pass, overtaking the two leaders, and by doing so, Prat secured his first career Preakness win.

Now, Prat will be looking to win the Belmont Stakes for the first time on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Only he’ll be riding a different horse and will be competing against Rombauer.

Prior to agreeing to ride Rombauer in the Preakness, Prat had already decided that he would ride Hot Rod Charlie in the Belmont. So that means the winning jockey and horse from the Preakness will be separated. Instead, John Velazquez will be riding Rombauer, who will be looking to go 2-for-2 in the Triple Crown races that he’s competed in.

Here’s a look at the full lineup for the Belmont (including odds, jockeys and pedigree info), followed by more on the upcoming race.

Belmont Stakes Lineup

1. Bourbonic (15-1)
Jockey: Kendrick Carmouche
Pedigree: Bernardini, Dancing Afleet

2. Essential Quality (2-1)
Jockey: Luis Saez
Pedigree: Tapit, Delightful Quality

3. Rombauer (3-1)
Jockey: John Velazquez
Pedigree: Twirling Candy, Cashmere

4. Hot Rod Charlie (7-2)
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Pedigree: Oxbow, Indian Miss

5. France Go de Ina (30-1)
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Pedigree: Will Take Charge, Dreamy Blues

6. Known Agenda (6-1)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Pedigree: Curlin, Byrama

7. Rock Your World (9-2)
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Pedigree: Candy Ride, Charm the Maker

8. Overtook (20-1)
Jockey: Manny Franco
Pedigree: Curlin, Got Lucky

Odds via Belmont Stakes

Preview

If you need to find a new jockey for your Preakness-winning horse, then there aren’t many better options than Velazquez. During his illustrious career, Velazquez is a four-time Kentucky Derby champion and a two-time Belmont winner.

However, it’s been a while since Velazquez was last victorious at Belmont. He won in 2007 with Rags to Riches, then again in 2012 with Union Rags. But that was the last time he won the race. 

There’s a good chance Rombauer could win with Velazquez riding him, but there are other strong horses in the field that will be looking to win the final Triple Crown event of 2021.

One of them is Hot Rod Charlie, Prat’s new horse. In March, Hot Rod Charlie won the Louisiana Derby. He didn’t fare quite as well in the Kentucky Derby, in which the colt finished third. But that was also the last time he raced, so he should be fresh and ready to go for the Belmont.

Hot Rod Charlie will also have a jockey who is coming off a Preakness win and is now hoping to secure his first career Belmont victory.

“The way Rombauer won, believe me, it’s human nature to be like, ‘Geez, how do we take off the Preakness horse for a horse that didn’t win the Derby?'” said Doug O’Neill, Hot Rod Charlie’s trainer, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. “I think that’s a credit to Charlie and what Flavien thinks about Charlie.”

While Rombauer and Hot Rod Charlie have solid odds, Essential Quality is the current favorite to win the Belmont. Essential Quality was also the favorite heading into the Kentucky Derby, but he ended up fourth in that race.

But it’s possible that Essential Quality will get off to a better start in the Belmont and could potentially race to victory. He impressed trainer Brad Cox with his first session on the Belmont Park track on Wednesday.

“He seemed to get over the ground pretty well,” Cox said, per Whyno. “[Assistant trainer Dustin Dugas] said he was very, very smooth.”

The Belmont typically gets the most attention in years in which a Triple Crown is in play. That’s not the case this year, but there’s still good reason to watch the race. Several of these horses are legitimate contenders to win, and it should set things up for an exciting finish.

Rombauer may not become a Triple Crown champion, but he could end up with an impressive list of career wins that includes both the Preakness and Belmont.