Forte, last year's Eclipse Award-winning juvenile and a five-time graded-stakes winner, was the narrow 5-2 favorite in the win pool over Angel of Empire on Friday in early wagering on the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.
At 9:45 p.m. EDT, the Todd Pletcher-trained Forte was holding steady as the top choice while Angel of Empire was, as expected, the preferred choice of the three colts entered by Brad Cox for Saturday's 1 1/2-mile test of the champion.
Also receiving play was the Bob Baffert-trained Preakness winner National Treasure, the third choice in the early wagering.
On the chillier side of the early betting spectrum were Pletcher's Tapit Trice and Peter Pan Stakes (G3) winner Arcangelo, whose conditioner Jena Antonucci could become the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race.
The Belmont is race 12 of 13 on Saturday's card at Belmont Park, with post time scheduled for 7:02 p.m. EDT. The National Weather Service forecast for Elmont, N.Y., called for mostly sunshine with a high near 78 degrees on Saturday.
| Belmont Stakes 2023 | Odds | Trainer | Jockey |
| 1. Tapit Shoes | 16-1 | Brad Cox | José Ortiz |
| 2. Tapit Trice | 6-1 | Todd Pletcher | Luis Sáez |
| 3. Arcangelo | 8-1 | Jena Antonucci | Javier Castellano |
| 4. National Treasure | 9-2 | Bob Baffert | John Velázquez |
| 5. Il Miracolo | 20-1 | Antonio Sano | Marcos Meneses |
| 6. Forte | 5-2 | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. |
| 7. Hit Show | 10-1 | Brad Cox | Manny Franco |
| 8. Angel of Empire | 7-2 | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat |
