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Gate-to-wire winners are rare at the 1.5-mile Belmont Stakes, as the final leg of the Triple Crown generally rewards horses who can run off the lead and have the tactical speed to make a move down the stretch. National Treasure used his front-running style to win the Preakness Stakes and now will compete in the 2023 Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. Forte, the Kentucky Derby favorite before being a late scratch, is the 5-2 favorite in the 2023 Belmont Stakes odds, sitting ahead of Tapit Trice (3-1) and Angel of Empire (7-2) among the 2023 Belmont Stakes horses. Favorites have only won 11 times in the last 36 Belmont Stakes, with 10 Belmont Stakes contenders winning at 6-1 or longer over the past 17 years.

The 2023 Belmont Stakes post time is 7:02 p.m. ET. Before locking in any 2023 Belmont Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions from SportsLine's Jody Demling, given his dominant Belmont track record.

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 2023 Belmont Stakes approaching, Demling is sharing his horse racing picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2023 Belmont Stakes predictions

For the 2023 Belmont Stakes, Demling is fading Tapit Trice, even though he's one of the top favorites at 3-1. In fact, Demling says Tapit Trice barely even hits the board. Heading into the Kentucky Derby, Tapit Trice's appeal was his ability to win races in spite of poor starts. In the Kentucky Derby, he flipped the script and couldn't take advantage of what looked to be his best break, finishing in a disappointing seventh place.

While many expect the added length at Belmont Stakes 2023 to suit the Tapit descendants in the field, there is concern that the way he appeared to run at Churchill Downs will continue on Saturday. Mired in the middle of the pack in the Derby, Tapit Trice's feet looked heavy and incapable of beating the pace set by the lead horses. See who else to fade here.

Another stunner: Demling is high on National Treasure in the Belmont Stakes 2023, even though he's a 5-1 longshot. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. It was not shocking to see National Treasure win the Preakness Stakes since he is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and ridden by jockey John Velazquez. He is a son of Quality Road, the favorite to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby before suffering a pair of injuries.

National Treasure went gate-to-wire to beat six other horses in the Preakness and could join horses like American Pharoah and Justify, who excelled in the Belmont. National Treasure has two wins and a second-place finish from six starts, and Baffert knows what it takes to win this race. He did so with Point Given, American Pharoah and Justify, potentially setting himself up for his 18th Triple Crown victory on Saturday. See who else to back here.

How to make 2023 Belmont Stakes picks, bets

Instead, 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

Who wins the Belmont Stakes 2023? And which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2023 Belmont Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the 2023 Belmont Stakes, all from the expert who nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta at the Preakness and has called four of the last five Belmont winners.

2023 Belmont Stakes odds, post positions, horses

Prg #HorseOddsProjection
1Tapit Shoes20-1SEE PICKS
2Tapit Trice3-1SEE PICKS
3Arcangelo8-1SEE PICKS
4National Treasure5-1SEE PICKS
5Il Miracolo30-1SEE PICKS
6Forte5-2SEE PICKS
7Hit Show10-1SEE PICKS
8Angel of Empire7-2SEE PICKS
9Red Route One15-1SEE PICKS