This Saturday, the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes will take place in Elmont, New York. It's shaping up to be a fantastic race with several viable contenders, including Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure.

While there will be no Triple Crown champion this year—Kentucky Derby winner Mage isn't even in this weekend's field—there will be plenty on the line Saturday evening. The winner's share of the $1.5 million prize pool is $800,000, and the race teams involved will be vying for a place in thoroughbred racing history.

Jockey Flavien Prat, for example, has never won the Belmont but won the 2019 Kentucky Derby with Country House and the 2021 Preakness Stakes with Rombauer. He'll have a chance to complete the trifecta with Angel of Empire.

And it seems that the race will go as scheduled. There was concern about a potential postponement after smoke in the area from Canadian wildfires led to track activities being suspended Thursday. However, air quality conditions improved, and the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival began as planned on Friday afternoon.

How will the culmination of the festival unfold? Let's take a look at the updated odds and make some final predictions.

2023 Belmont Stakes

When: Saturday, June 10

Where: Belmont Park in Elmont, New York

Post Time: 7:02 p.m. ET

Race Length: 1½ miles (12 furlongs)

Prize Pool: $1.5 million ($800,000 to winner)

TV and Live Stream: Fox, Fox Sports app

Latest Vegas Odds and Race Team Information

1. Tapit Shoes (16-1)

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Jockey: José L. Ortiz

2. Tapit Trice (6-1)

Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher

Jockey: Luis Saez

3. Arcangelo (8-1)

Trainer: Jena M. Antonucci

Jockey: Javier Castellano

4. National Treasure (9-2)

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Jockey: John R. Velazquez

5. Il Miracolo (20-1)

Trainer: Antonio Sano

Jockey: Marcos Meneses

6. Forte (5-2)

Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

7. Hit Show (10-1)

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Jockey: Manuel Franco

8. Angel of Empire (7-2)

Trainer: Brad H. Cox

Jockey: Flavien Prat

9. Red Route One (12-1)

Trainer: Steven M. Asmussen

Jockey: Joel Rosario

*Odds via BelmontStakes.com

Preview and Predictions

National Treasure will try to be the first horse to notch back-to-back wins at the Preakness and Belmont since Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018. However, the Bob Baffert-trained colt is not the favorite.

The favorite remains Forte, who also held that status in the Kentucky Derby before being scratched with a foot ailment. After sitting out both the Derby and the Preakness, the Todd Pletcher-trained horse will try to reassert its dominance Saturday.

Heading into the Kentucky Derby, Forte had won five consecutive races. He had beaten Mage twice and beat both National Treasure and Preakness runner-up Blazing Sevens in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

There's a real chance that Forte would be racing for the Triple Crown this weekend without the injury. It's hard to pick against the favorite, who with plenty of rest, probably has the stamina to shine on Belmont's 1½-mile track.

"I've just never seen him get tired, really," Pletcher said, per David Grenig. "The way he works and the way he gallops out and the way he recovers afterwards; I've never seen the bottom of him."

Forte will face stiff competition from a trio of Brad Cox-trained horses in Tapit Shoes, Angel of Empire and Hit Show, along with Pletcher's other contender, Tapit Trice. For three of those horses, early positioning will be critical.

Tapit Shoes and Tapit Trice will both break from the inside. This means that jockeys José L. Ortiz and Luis Saez, respectively, will have to prevent their mounts from being pinned against the rail and behind the pack on the first turn. Angel of Empire, meanwhile, will break near the outside, meaning Prat may have to get in front early to have a shot.

Like Forte, Hit Show will have a favorable position near the middle, where avoiding early traffic is the only real concern. Hit Show is one of the longer shots with a legitimate chance to pull off the upset too. He finished fifth at the Kentucky Derby, and jockey Manuel Franco knows how to win in Elmont—having won the 2020 Belmont Stakes atop Tiz the Law.

Angel of Empire and Hit Show are the only top-five finishers from the Kentucky Derby in this race. The prediction here is that both show behind the horse that might have won the Derby had he been able to run.

Predicted Finish:

1. Forte

2. Angel of Empire

3. Hit Show