Quick Answer
The 158th Belmont Stakes is set for Saturday, June 6, 2026, with post time around 6:50 PM Eastern. For the third consecutive year the race is being run at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York, not at Belmont Park, while a 455 million dollar reconstruction of Belmont wraps up.
Because Saratoga's main oval is smaller, the 2026 race will be contested at 1 1/4 miles instead of the traditional 1 1/2. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux, is the heavy early favorite after skipping the Preakness.
When is the Belmont Stakes 2026?
The Belmont Stakes 2026 runs on Saturday, June 6, with post time scheduled around 6:50 PM ET. The main race anchors a three day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga that begins Thursday, June 4 and stacks graded stakes races across the weekend.
For viewers in the UK, that is just before midnight GMT. On the West Coast, post time falls in the late afternoon, which is genuinely civilized by big race standards.
Why is the race at Saratoga again?
This is the headline storyline. Belmont Park in Elmont, New York is in the middle of a 455 million dollar, state funded reconstruction. The old grandstands have been physically demolished to make way for a modernized, winterized facility that the New York Racing Association expects to reopen in fall 2026.
Governor Kathy Hochul has been clear that this is the third and final year of Saratoga hosting. From 2027 onward the Belmont returns home. Saratoga is one of the most beautiful, historic tracks in the world, and the temporary move has actually produced some of the most attended Belmont Festivals in recent memory.
The shorter distance changes everything
The Belmont has always been known as the Test of the Champion because of its grueling 1 1/2 mile, 12 furlong distance. That extra quarter mile is what historically separates a true classic horse from a fast miler.
Saratoga's main track is physically smaller than Belmont's massive oval, so the race cannot run its traditional distance there. For 2026 the Belmont will be contested at 1 1/4 miles, the same length as the Kentucky Derby. Racing purists hate it. The argument is fair: a Belmont at Derby distance is a different test, and the historic stamina element is gone for one more year.
The early favorite: Golden Tempo
The story of the spring is Golden Tempo. He shocked the racing world on May 2 by closing from last to win the Kentucky Derby at 23 to 1. Then his connections immediately pulled him from the Preakness, ending any 2026 Triple Crown talk before it began.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux, the first woman ever to win the Derby, defended the decision. "We respect that fans are excited about the prospect of a Triple Crown winner," she said. "However, we have to be the ambassador for Golden Tempo, and it takes a certain type of horse to be able to come back and run in two weeks. And he's not that kind of a horse."
By skipping the Preakness, Golden Tempo will arrive at Saratoga with five full weeks of rest. Add in jockey Jose Ortiz, the closing kick everyone saw at Churchill Downs, and the fact that the distance has dropped to the exact mile and a quarter where he just won the biggest race of his life, and you have an overwhelming morning line favorite.
Who can beat him?
The opposition is led by the Preakness winner, who will arrive on three weeks rest, which is the modern Belmont disadvantage. Several "fresh" horses, animals that skipped both the Derby and Preakness specifically to take a shot at Golden Tempo on this shortened track, are also expected to enter.
I would not bet against Golden Tempo outright, but I am interested in the exotics. Closers that handle a tight, two turn 10 furlong track at Saratoga have historically been live underneath. The trifecta and superfecta are where the value is going to live this year.
How to watch the Belmont Stakes 2026
NBC owns the US broadcast rights and will carry the main race on its primary network, with full festival coverage on USA Network and the Peacock streaming service. FanDuel TV and TVG cover every undercard race in detail.
In the UK, Sky Sports Racing typically picks up the simulcast, and the race is widely available on international racing platforms. The official NYRA Bets app streams it for free in most US states with a small account balance.
The takeaway
The 2026 Belmont Stakes is a transitional edition: still at Saratoga, still at the shortened 1 1/4 miles, and probably the last time we see this version before the race returns home in 2027. Golden Tempo is rested, locked in and the favorite, but the Belmont has a long, rich history of breaking favorites. Post time is Saturday, June 6 at 6:50 PM ET. I would not look away.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the Belmont Stakes 2026?
Post time is approximately 6:50 PM Eastern on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Why is the Belmont being run at Saratoga?
Belmont Park is in the final phase of a 455 million dollar reconstruction. Saratoga is hosting for the third and final year.
Is Golden Tempo running in the Belmont?
Yes. After skipping the Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is the early favorite for the June 6 race.
