Powershift at the 2026 Belmont Stakes: Odds, Post Position & History

Powershift won a race at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day. But it was a maiden race and not the one that his connections hoped he would win -- the Derby. But now, this talented but lightly raced Todd Pletcher trainee will get his shot at Triple Crown glory when he leaves the starting gate in the 2026 Belmont Stakes.  Bet Powershift and the entire Belmont Stakes at TwinSpires with promo code CBSSPORTS. You'll get a special $400 signup bonus, double the regular offer :

2 Powershift (12-1)

- Trainer: Todd Pletcher - Jockey: Luis Saez - Last race: First in a maiden special race by 2¾ lengths - Career record: 3 starts: 1 win, 1 second - Career earnings: $81,896 - Best career Beyer Speed Figure: 96 (maiden special weight) - Sire: Constitution

Below, we'll dig further into Powershift as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 158th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6. We'll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.

1 Vitruvian Man | 2 Powershift | 3 Chief Wallabee | 4 Renegade | 5 Ottinho | 6 Growth Equity | 7 Commandment | 8 Emerging Market | 9 Golden Tempo

Now that you know who's in the field, you'll want to know how to bet the Belmont Stakes on the top horse racing betting apps.  Land a special $400 signup bonus with the TwinSpires promo code CBSSPORTS now :

What to know about Powershift

After the pace collapse in the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes is shaping up to be a crawl.

Of the 41 races run by the nine Belmont Stakes horses in their careers, only one race featured one of these horses on the lead (Ocelli in a maiden race on Dec. 31). None of these horses do their best running on the lead.

The biggest beneficiary of the dearth of speed is Powershift. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Powershift has raced just three times. In his debut, he was outdueled by Emerging Market at Tampa Bay Downs in a race that almost broke the track record. After coming back on short rest in his second start (a sixth in the Tampa Bay Derby), Powershift broke his maiden on the Kentucky Derby undercard in which he stalked soft fractions.

The TimeformUS early pace figures say that Powershift has the best early foot in the race and should be the one setting the pace early. Though he has never been on the lead in his life, that could be an advantageous spot in a race without any other pace. In addition, the dirt track at Saratoga has been friendly to speed horses on the rail this week, which is exactly what Powershift should be on Saturday.

He's 12-1 on the morning line at  DK Horse  and  1/ST BET , but he's a lightly raced horse who's fast, improving and holds a tactical edge on the rest of the Belmont field, which makes him a live longshot on Saturday.

Post draw analysis

With his early foot and no other speed in the race, Powershift should be the early pacesetter when the horses cross the start/finish line for the first time, especially from this No. 2 post. Jockey Luis Saez is dangerous on horses with speed, and if the others allow Powershift a loose lead under moderate fractions, he could take this field a long way.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/powershift-profile-2026-belmont-stakes-odds-post-position-history-and-more-to-know/)._