2024 Belmont Stakes horses: trainers, jockeys, owners competing in the race
Trainers Kenny McPeek (left) and D. Wayne Lukas (right) (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
June 8th, 2024
What trainers and jockeys are in the 2024 Belmont Stakes?
| PP | Horse | ML | Jockey | Trainer | Owners | Breeders |
| 1 | Seize the Grey | 8-1 | Jamie Torres | D W Lukas | MyRacehorse | Jamm, LTD |
| 2 | Resilience | 10-1 | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | Bushnell, Emily & Waldman,Ric | Pam &Martin Wygod |
| 3 | Mystik Dan | 5-1 | Brian Hernandez | Ken McPeek | Four G Racing LLC | Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby &4G Racing LLC |
| 4 | The Wine Steward | 15-1 | Manuel Franco | Michael Maker | Paradise Farms Corp | Sequel Thoughbreds LLC. |
| 5 | Antiquarian | 12-1 | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | Centennial Farms | Brereton C. Jones |
| 6 | Dornoch | 15-1 | Luis Saez | Danny Gargan | West Paces LLC | Grandview Equine |
| 7 | Protective | 20-1 | Tyler Gaffalione | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable | Alpha Delta Stables |
| 8 | Honor Marie | 12-1 | Florent Geroux | Whit Beckman | Ribble Farms LLC | Royce Pulliam |
| 9 | Sierra Leone | 9-5 | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown | Magnier, Mrs John, Tabor, etc. | Debby M. Oxley |
| 10 | Mindframe | 7-2 | Irad Ortiz, Jr | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable | R. Larry Johnson |
Five jockeys aim to boost their Belmont wins
Four of the 10 jockeys riding in the 2024 Belmont have previously won the third jewel of the Triple Crown.
Irad Ortiz Jr: Named to ride Mindframe, he has won the Belmont twice aboard Creator (2016) and Mo Donegal (2022).
John Velazquez: Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, riding Antiquarian, has likewise recorded two wins aboard Rags to Riches (2007) and Union Rags (2012).
Luis Saez: Riding Dornoch, he will aim to join Ortiz and Velazquez as twice-victorious Belmont jockeys. Saez steered Essential Quality to victory in 2021.
Manuel Franco: Rider of The Wine Steward, Manuel Franco, will follow Luis Saez and attempt his second victory at the Belmont Stakes. Franco earned his first victory in 2020 when partnered with Tiz the Law.
Flavien Prat: As one of the most accomplished riders in the nation, he has won the Kentucky Derby aboard Country House (2019) and the Preakness on Rombauer (2021). But the Belmont has proven elusive; his best finish to date was a second riding Hot Rod Charlie (2021). In a quest to complete his personal Triple Crown, Prat is partnering with Sierra Leone for the 2024 Belmont Stakes.
Five prominent trainers to watch for the 156th Belmont Stakes
Six of the 10 Belmont entrants are conditioned by trainers who have previously won the Belmont.
D. Wayne Lukas: Hall of fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, has won the Belmont 4 times. Three of those wins occurred during consecutive years (1994-1996), with Tabasco Cat, Thunder Gulch, and Editor's Note. He later picked up his fourth win with Commendable (2000). Lukas will saddle Seize the Grey this Saturday in attempt to get his fifth win.
Ken McPeek: Trainer, Ken McPeek is sending out the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan as his Belmone contender. He saddled Sarava to a 70-1 upset in 2002 as one of the biggest longshot wins in the history of the race.
Bill Mott: Another Hall of Fame conditioner, Bill Mott, won the 2010 Belmont with Drosselmeyer and seeks to take home second win with Resilience.
Todd Pletcher: This hall of fame trainer has won the Belmont 4 times, with a string of more recent success, including Rags to Riches (2007), Palace Malice (2014), Tapwrit (2017), and Mo Donegal (2022). This year he has entered a trio of horses: Antiquarian, Mindframe, and Protective.
