2022 Belmont Stakes: Rich Strike, We The People Headline Field Looking To Win 'The Test Of The Champion'

The third and final jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown might be the longest at twelve furlongs, but has a chance to feature some history.

If the favorite for the 2022 Belmont Stakes crosses the finish line first Saturday, it'll be the third-straight year in which the favorite wins the event, tying the longest streak since five straight from 1923-27. The betting favorite, We The People, could very well be just the horse to extend the streak, coming in with 2-1 odds to win.

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We The People won at Belmont Park last month in the Peter Pan Stakes, avenging his 7th place finish at the Arkansas Derby in April. Flavien Prat, one of the best jockeys in the world, will be atop We The People. Prat jockeyed Country House to victory in the 2019 Kentucky Derby and Rombauer in the 2021 Preakness Stakes. Prat will look to finish off his personal Triple Crown by outlasting the field at Big Sandy.

"I don't look at the odds, but it makes sense," We the People trainer Rodolphe Brisset said Tuesday.

Making his return to the field is Rich Strike, just over a month removed from his enthralling and unexpected victory at the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Entered into the race just 30 minutes ahead of the deadline, Rich Strike had the lowest odds to win, but outlasted co-favorites Epicenter and Zandon to stun Churchill Downs.

Rich Strike did not run the Preakness Stakes, as owner Rick Dawson said he wanted to give his horse more rest in preparation for the Belmont Stakes.

"I think the turn for home, if he is close enough, he will have a really good shot at it," Rich Strike trainer Eric Reed said. "It's definitely not a race where you want to come from way, way back."

With Rich Strike out of the field on May 21, there was an opportunity for another horse to step up. That ended up being Early Voting, who will not be competing Saturday.

Epicenter, who finished second in both of the previous Triple Crown races, is also not in the field, making this one of the most unpredictable fields yet.

The eight-horse field will come out of the gates at approximately 6:49 p.m. ET on NBC from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.