Belmont Stakes 2023 odds, expert picks, post positions: Forte, Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire predictions

Are the days of a dominant horse in the Triple Crown gone? Since Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018, no other horse has won multiple races in the same Triple Crown season. It's the longest streak without a single horse winning multiple Triple Crown races since 192 to 1929. This would mark five straight years of three different winners in the Triple Crown unless National Treasure (6-1) wins the Belmont Stakes 2023. The Bob Baffert trained horse won the Preakness Stakes, and the latest 2023 Belmont Stakes odds show National Treasure at 6-1 to win. Forte is the 3-1 favorite among the 2023 Belmont Stakes horses after missing the previous two legs of the Triple Crown with a foot injury. Tapit Trice (7-2) and Angel of Empire (4-1) follow in pursuit of their first Triple Crown in the latest Belmont Stakes odds 2023.

The 2023 Belmont Stakes post time is 6:50 p.m. ET. Before making any 2023 Belmont Stakes predictions, you'll want to see elite horse racing handicapper Jody Demling's 2023 Belmont Stakes picks and analysis.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the 2023 Preakness Stakes. Demling also enters the Belmont Stakes 2023 having nailed the winner of the final Triple Crown race four of the last five years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline's win at the Breeders' Cup Classic last November.

Additionally, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 tries. Anybody following him in those races saw huge returns.

Now, with the Belmont Stakes 2023 approaching, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. .

2023 Belmont Stakes predictions for Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, Forte

One surprise: Demling is fading Tapit Trice, even though he's one of the top favorites at 7-2. Although he had been on fire heading into the Kentucky Derby, he was one of the biggest disappointments in the Run for the Roses and finished seventh. The knock on Tapit Trice has been his inability to break quickly, and prior to the Derby, he was winning in spite of that.

Racing fans and experts have pointed out that the 1.5-mile track in Elmont, New York, is well-suited for Tapit Trice given the history of his bloodline at the event. His sire, Tapit, has produced four Belmont Stakes winners, the most by one horse in over a century. However, Tapit Trice's closing speed will be critical at the Belmont 2023, and that might not be enough to topple other proven 2023 Belmont Stakes horses. See who else to back here.

Demling has also locked in his 2023 Belmont Stakes picks for Angel of Empire, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby. He entered the Kentucky Derby with high expectations coming off back-to-back victories at the Arkansas Derby and Risen Star Stakes. Howeber, Angel of Empire placed third and skipped the Preakness Stakes to rest and train for the Belmont Stakes 2023.

Angel of Empire had four victories in six career races and won more than $1 million prior to the Kentucky Derby. He's trained by Brad Cox, who was the trainer for Essential Quality as the 2021 Belmont Stakes winner. The bay-colored colt was sired by Classic Empire, who won four graded races, including the 2017 Arkansas Derby. Angel of Empire has the results, pedigree and trainer to be a contender in the 2023 Belmont Stakes, but will that be enough to overtake a talented 2023 Belmont Stakes field? See Demling's prediction for Angel of Empire here.

Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, who was scratched just hours before the race, missed the Preakness Stakes and is awaiting clearance heading into the final leg of the Triple Crown. He worked five-eighths of a mile under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. last weekend, his second workout since being scratched from the Kentucky Derby on race day. Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched, which caused him to miss the Preakness as well. 

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said Forte has seemingly "maintained his fitness level" and "it seems like everything is in good order." He was required to have a workout watched by a licensed racetrack veterinarian and pass a blood test that was taken immediately after the breeze, so he is waiting for the results of the test. Forte has won six races during his career, including the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth Stakes. 

How to make 2023 Belmont Stakes picks, bets

Demling is also high on a double-digit longshot who has "looked sharp in his return to the track." Anyone who backs this horse could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.