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2024 Belmont Stakes Sleeper Picks & Longshot Bets

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Six of the 10 horses in the 2024 Belmont Stakes have winning odds of 10-1 or worse. However, only one horse, Protective, has odds of 20-1 or worse. Because of that, there aren't any crazy longshots in this race, but because there are strong favorites, there are still outcomes that could produce hefty paydays for longshot bettors.

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Here are the best sleeper picks and longshot bets for the 2024 Belmont Stakes.

2024 Belmont Stakes Sleeper Picks

Honor Marie (12/1)

Honor Marie finished just eighth at the Kentucky Derby. That result shouldn't give bettors too much confidence in this horse heading into Saturday's race. However, one thing that should give bettors faith in the son of Honor Code is the jockey change the horse is undergoing. In the Kentucky Derby, Honor Marie was jockeyed by Ben Curtis. For the Belmont Stakes, he will see a huge improvement as Florent Geroux climbs aboard.

Geroux was aboard 20th-place finisher Just a Touch at the Kentucky Derby. It was a disappointing effort, but something wasn't right with the horse, and Geroux knew it. Honor Marie is a late closing horse that should pick off horses down the home stretch of this 1.5-mile race. As long as he doesn't tire early, look for him to possibly pull a surprise win, or at least finish in the top three.

The Wine Steward (15/1)

The Wine Steward ran second to Antiquarian at the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) on May 11. It was the horse's first time running longer than 1 1/16 miles. He ran strong for the most part. Of course, the Belmont is a completely different beast, but at least The Wine Steward has run consistently well, even as he continues to go up in distance.

What also makes The Wine Steward worth a look is his results history. He has finished first or second in all six of his career starts. He hasn't picked up a win since August 27 of last year, so the odds of him winning are rightfully low. But because he's been known to hang around, this could be a horse to watch at the end, as other better horses fall off late.

TRIFECTA: (8) Honor Marie/(9) Sierra Leone/(1) Seize the Grey

Can a trifecta really be a longshot if it includes the race-favorite? Well, it can if the race-favorite doesn't win or is surrounded by two horses with pretty long odds. Seize the Grey isn't getting much credit after leading wire-to-wire and winning the Preakness Stakes in May. While the horse is unlikely to achieve the same feat on Saturday, he shouldn't be written off just because of the length of the race. Look for a change of plans for the longer event, as he runs off the lead, then passes faltering horses late.

As for Sierra Leone, it's self-explanatory. We think he and Mystik Dan will run side-by-side for most of the race, but Sierra Leone pulls away this time. But will the horse have enough left to hold off late-closing Honor Marie? In this longshot scenario, we say no, but box this trifecta just to be safe.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:

Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.

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