ET The 2025 Belmont Stakes is being impacted by stormy weather around Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
The skies have started to clear and conditions have improved in Saratoga Springs, New York after a morning of rain, but muddy conditions are likely to remain on the track for Saturday evening’s race, according to The Weather Channel.
Nearly 1.5 inches of rain fell from Friday at midnight to Saturday at noon ahead of the race, according to a weather station in Saratoga Springs, which could contribute to muddy track conditions.
ADVERTISEMENT [MORE: Belmont Stakes winners: Complete list by year] Journalism (+160) is the slight favorite over Sovereignty (+200) for the 157th Belmont Stakes — the third and final leg of the Triple Crown — per DraftKings Sportsbook.
[MORE: Sovereignty, Journalism, Baeza are ‘top tier’ in crop of Belmont Stakes horses] Sovereignty won a rainy and muddy 151st Kentucky Derby last month on May 3, outlasting 3-1 favorite Journalism.
updated in June. 7, 2025, at 5:11 p.m. A. ET. .
Stormy conditions surrounding Saratoga Race Course on Saturday are affecting the 2025 Belmont Stakes.
The Weather Channel reports that although the skies have begun to clear and the weather has improved in Saratoga Springs, New York, following a rainy morning, muddy conditions are probably going to persist on the track for the race on Saturday night.
According to a Saratoga Springs weather station, almost 1.5 inches of rain fell between Friday at midnight and Saturday at noon before the race, which may have contributed to muddy track conditions.
With temperatures in the low 70s before the race (7:04 p.m.), the sky is currently partly cloudy, with light winds and a remote chance of rain. M. ET).
Races 3, 6, 10, and 14 have already been moved off the turf to the main track, according to the Belmont Stakes, which posted on social media about the change in the race day schedule.
There are no major weather alerts in effect for Saratoga Springs as of Saturday afternoon, but Albany, New York, about 35 miles away, is under a flash flood warning.
[MORE: Full list by year of Belmont Stakes winners].
For the 157th Belmont Stakes, the third and last leg of the Triple Crown, DraftKings Sportsbook has Journalism (+160) as the slight favorite over Sovereignty (+200). The field is completed by Baeza (+400), Rodriguez (+600), Hill Road (+1000), Crudo (+1500), Heart of Honor (+3000), and Uncaged (+3000).
[MORE: ‘Top tier’ Belmont Stakes horses include Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza].
Last month, on May 3, Sovereignty defeated 3-1 favorite Journalism to win the 151st Kentucky Derby, which was muddy and rainy. The temperature at Churchill Downs was 58 degrees, overcast, and hazy due to a heavy downpour of rain.
A few weeks later on May 17, journalism pulled off a victory in the 150th Preakness Stakes at the historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, for the final time before it is demolished and rebuilt. The race was held in less than ideal conditions, but things improved just in time for the main event. The race took place in largely clear, warm weather on a sunny to partly cloudy day.
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