Belmont Stakes 2020 Results: Finish Order, Prize Money And Payouts After Tiz The Law Wins Triple Crown Race

The 2020 Belmont Stakes is just about to begin, starting off the Triple Crown season in intriguing fashion. There are 10 horses in a field that Tiz the Law is expected to dominate. Will any of the other contenders be able to usurp the favorite tonight, or will the top three-year-old come through like the handicappers are predicting? Find out more about each of competitors set to take to the track at Belmont Park shortly in the article below. You can also find the post time, TV channel, live stream information, prize money, distance, pro picks and more.

Belmont Stakes 2020 Schedule, Start Time And Viewing Guide

When: Saturday, June 20

Post Time: 5:42 p.m. ET (approximate)

TV: NBC (coverage from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET)

Live Stream:  NBCSports.com / NBC Sports App

Location: Belmont Park, Elmont, New York

Purse: $1 million

Distance: Nine furlongs (1 and 1/8^th miles)

Belmont Stakes Post Positions, Odds And Field Overview

1. Tap It to Win (6-1)

Tap It To Win has a real chance to usurp the favorite at the 2020 Belmont Stakes despite a lack of Grade I victories to his name. He earned at 97 Beyer Speed Figure—the best of any horse in the field—at a first-level allowance race at Belmont Park at the beginning of the month, securing an easy five-length win with a time of 1:39.76, just .54 seconds off the track record. The horse clearly has incredible speed, but concerns about his ability to keep pace on longer routes seem legitimate. Now that the “Test of the Champion” is only being run at nine furlongs instead of the standard 12, there is a much better chance that Tap It To Win is at or near the front of the pack once the race concludes.

Not only is this horse one of the true contenders based on talent, but he also lucked into the most historically beneficial post position during the 2020 Belmont Stakes draw. The No. 1 stall has produced an incredible 23 winners across the storied history of this Triple Crown race. That is nearly as many combined as the next most fruitful post positions—Nos. 3 and 5 have each seen 13 champions emerge—and could be a boon for Tap It To Win this evening.

2. Sole Volante (9-2)

Sole Volante is considered by many to be the best deep closer in the 10-horse field at the 2020 Belmont Stakes. He is ranked as one of the top three-year-old’s in the country right now and has impressive acceleration down the stretch. Getting a proper set-up will be key for this horse to win a Triple Crown race and is a valid concern for his potential supporters.

It remains to be seen if having the shortest turnaround of any contestant will be beneficial or hurt Sole Volante, who just raced 10 days ago at Gulfstream Park and secured his fourth win in six tries. His trainers, led by co-owner Patrick Biancone, are adamant that the gelding is in the best shape of his life leading up to the 2020 Belmont Stakes, so keep an eye out for Sole Volante to make a late surge that could result in an upset victory.

3. Max Player (15-1)

Some handicappers are keying in on Max Player as the best value in the field at the Belmont Stakes 2020. The horse is another one of the closers going for a Triple Crown victory and has proven the ability to win at a nine-furlong distance. Max Player came from behind to secure a victory in the Withers at Aqueduct back at the start of February, a race that was run at the same 1 and 1/8^th of a mile distance as this year’s Belmont Stakes. Linda Rice, Max Player’s trainer, believes this horse is made for these types of distances and could perform much better than his 15-1 odds suggest.

Keep in mind that the No. 3 post position has been kind to horses coming out of it at Belmont Park this month, producing six winners in 19 races of one mile or longer on the main track. No other post position has seen more than three winners in that same span. It will be interesting to see if that fortune continues tonight at the Belmont Stakes with Max Player running from that post.

4. Modernist (15-1)

Modernist was a late entry into the Belmont Stakes field, but one that could make some noise now that he’s involved in the Triple Crown race. The Uncle Mo sired colt has two victories in five attempts, but notably suffered his worst finish—a fifth place showing in a six-furlong sprint—in his debut at Belmont Park last September. His best performance was at the Grade 2 Risen Star in mid-February, a race he won at the same nine-furlong distance as today’s Belmont Stakes. Modernist also won at nine furlongs at Aqueduct in January, so this horse does have what it takes to compete tonight.

5. Farmington Road (15-1)

Farmington Road is one of two Todd Pletcher-trained horses competing in the 2020 Belmont Stakes, although he is a longer shot at 15-1 than Dr Post, the other Pletcher horse who was 5-1 on the morning line. Pletcher is still looking to complete a career Triple Crown by claiming a Belmont Stakes victory, coming agonizingly close with second-place photo finishes in 2014 and 2016, the toughest of his horse’s five total runner-up performances. Farmington Road has an all-time great rider in Javier Castellano as well, which could help offset the horse’s lack of early speed. If this race were still one-and-a-half miles, Farmington Road would be at the top of the list of favorites, but he may still be in the mix down the stretch with a consistent run.

6. Fore Left (30-1)

Fore Left began his career with back-to-back victories last summer, but the horse has had spotty performances in year since those wins. His only race longer than a mile resulted in a seventh place showing at the American Pharaoh Stakes this past September, but he did secure a win at a one-mile distance in his only run of 2020. Doug O‘Neill is Fore Left’s trainer and is another of the big-name trainers with horses in tonight’s field looking to cap off a career Triple Crown with a Belmont Stakes victory. The odds of it happening are low, however, as Fore Left has been more of a sprinter and likely struggles to keep up over nine furlongs.

7. Jungle Runner (50-1)

Jungle Runner has the longest odds in the 2020 Belmont Stakes field, something that may attract bettors looking to cash a big payday after a long Triple Crown layoff. A win would be a major surprise, however, given the horse has yet to finish better than fifth and came in 11^th-place at the Arkansas Stakes, his only Grade I race, back in May. Look elsewhere to find a real contender for the “Test of the Champion”.

8. Tiz the Law (6-5)

Tiz the Law is regarded as the top three-year-old right now and has steadfast remained the favorite to win this race since the start of the year. He has a pedigree that lends itself to plenty of stamina and a trainer in Barclay Tagg that knows what it takes to win Triple Crown races after leading Funny Cide to wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness back in 2003. Tiz the Law is also the only horse in the Belmont Stakes field that has a Grade I victory under his belt, something that should put potential backers at ease when debating whether the horse is worse the near even money odds it has garnered.

One of the few drawbacks to betting on Tiz the Law is his post position, as the horse drew the No. 8 stall on Wednesday. Only five winners have come out of that position since 1867, but there is still a great chance that this horse makes it six tonight. Although favorites have struggled at the Belmont Stakes over the 30 years—winning just 20% of races in that span—the shorter distance this year’s Triple Crown opener is being run at should result in a favorable outcome for the top horse in the field.

9. Dr Post (5-1)

Dr Post is one of the favorites at the 2020 Belmont Stakes for good reason. He’s riding back-to-back victories into the Triple Crown season, shaking off a third place showing during his debut last summer at Belmont Park. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt picked up his two wins at Gulfstream in March and April and has plenty of momentum coming into this race. With jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on board, this is a serious contender that should be neck-and-neck with Tiz the Law down the stretch.  

10. Pneumatic (8-1)

Pneumatic is an intriguing entry into the 2020 Belmont Stakes, given his bloodline connections to Tapwrit and Uncle Mo, two horses that found success in this race. Although the shorter distance doesn’t lend itself well to stamina over speed, Pneumatic is likely to be a horse found on many winning trifecta tickets tonight.

2020 Belmont Stakes Picks

Click here to see who pro handicapper Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com believes will win the first Triple Crown race of the season.