2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup predictions, horses, odds, time, post positions: Surprising picks by top expert
This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Gene Menez reveals his Jockey Club Gold Cup 2026 picks for Friday at the renovated Belmont Park
• 2 min read
Belmont Park reopens on Friday with a nine-race card that is highlighted by the Grade-I 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup at 4:14 p.m. ET. Racing has been on pause for more than three years after the facility in Elmont, N.Y. underwent around half a billion dollar worth of renovations. Five horses are now in the 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup field after Banishing and Chunk of Gold scratched. Bet the Jockey Club Gold Cup with the TwinSpires promo code CBSSPORTS and get an exclusive $400 bonus:
The latest 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup odds list Forever Young as the 3-5 favorite in this $1 million race. Phileas Fogg (4-1), Baeza (9-2), Stars and Stripes (15-1) and Render Judgment (12-1) round out the odds board in this five-horse field. Before making any 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup picks, you'll want to see the horse racing predictions from SportsLine's Gene Menez.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
Menez excels on horse racing's biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. He hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. And earlier this year he struck big on Fountain of Youth day, hitting the late Pick 5 for $4,648.
Now, with the 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup post positions set and odds on the board, Menez is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. You can head here to see them.
Top 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup predictions
One surprise: Menez isn't high on Forever Young at 3-5 odds.
"The reigning Breeders' Cup Classic winner and earner of $31.8 million (second most all-time) is by far the horse to beat," Menez told SportsLine. "He's the most accomplished horse in the race, he put in an effortless eye-catching workout on Tuesday at Belmont (going his final three furlongs in 34.08 seconds) and he is perfectly drawn outside. But the fact remains that, outside of Japan, he is just 1-for-5 at 1¼ miles. Is he still the most likely winner? Yes. But at these odd or shorter, there's no reason to play him." See which horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup picks
Menez's top pick is a horse who is coming off a career-best effort and could be the one to back if the price hits a certain point. He's sharing which horses to back over at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup? Visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Jockey Club Gold Cup, all from the expert who has nailed some of horse racing's biggest events.
2026 Jockey Club Gold Cup odds, post positions
| Post | Horse | Odds | Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baeza | 9-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Stars and Stripes | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Phileas Fogg | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Render Judgment | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Forever Young | 3-5 | SEE PICKS |
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.