Belmont Derby 2022 predictions, odds, expert picks, contenders: Horse racing insider reveals best bets

A strong contingent of European horses meets some of the best turf 3-year-olds from the United States when the starting gate opens in the 2022 Belmont Derby on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The European group is led by Stone Age and Nations Pride. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Stone Age is the 9-2 morning-line favorite in the 2022 Belmont Derby odds. Nations Pride, who is trained by Charlie Appleby, is getting 5-1 odds in the wide-open, 13-horse Belmont Derby 2022 field. They are closely followed by the domestically based Emmanuel and Tiz the Bomb, who are tied for third in the odds, at 6-1. 

Post time is 5:12 p.m. ET. With an accomplished, international field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see what racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2022 Belmont Derby picks.

A Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014. Last year, he was on fire. He hit the exacta in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Derby and Peter Pan Stakes, the trifecta in the Risen Star Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby and the superfecta in the Belmont Stakes.

This year, he has been red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes, the trifecta in the Louisiana Derby and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also has hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o’ War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s, including May 14’s at Belmont for $1,851. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, he has handicapped the 2022 Belmont Derby lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see them at SportsLine.

Top 2022 Belmont Derby predictions 

One surprise: Weir, who studied the past performances and Beyer Speed Figures of every horse in the race, is bullish on the chances of the Ken McPeek-trained Tiz the Bomb. Listed at 6-1 on the morning line, this 3-year-old son of Hit It a Bomb has five wins and one second in nine career starts. On the turf alone, he has been even better: two wins and one second in three starts.

Weir believes Tiz the Bomb’s poor performances this year can be attributed to him racing on his less preferred surface, the dirt. “If he’s improved [from age 2 to 3], the move back to the right surface could make all the difference,” Weir says. He is using Tiz the Bomb prominently in all of his wagers.

How to 2022 Belmont Derby picks 

Moreover, Weir’s top pick is a horse who “has been brought along slowly.” Weir also is high on a double-digit long shot who “could get forgotten on the board.” Weir is including these horses in his 2022 Belmont Derby bets, and so should you. He’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.

So who wins the Belmont Derby 2022? What double-digit long shot is a must-back? And how has Weir constructed his wagers? Check out the latest Belmont Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir’s picks for the Belmont Derby.

2022 Belmont Derby odds, post positions