The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is an exciting five-day event celebrating Thoroughbred racing, happening from June 4 to June 8 at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. This year, the festival is back at Saratoga for the second time in a row since Belmont Park is getting some major renovations. The festival has 27 stakes races lined up, with 18 of them being graded events. The total purses are over $11 million, and the hype is huge.

One of the best parts of the festival is the 157th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes. It’s all set for Saturday, June 7, at 7:04 p.m. ET. This race, the last part of the Triple Crown, is going to feature some top contenders, including Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby winner, and Journalism, the Preakness champion. It’s going to be exciting! However, the event will include more than only the Belmont Stakes in its Grade 1 offerings. There’s even more!

On X, TDN shared a major update on an undefeated filly’s comeback race, stating, “She has arrived! Undefeated GI Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer (Medaglia d’Oro) is in Saratoga ahead of Friday’s GI Acorn Stakes, part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, where she’ll take on six others including fellow Kentucky Oaks starters La Cara, Bless the Broken and Quickick.” As part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, she will make her return to the track, marking her first appearance since her remarkable triumph in the Kentucky Oaks.

Good Cheer, trained by Brad Cox and owned by Godolphin, has an impressive record of 7 wins out of 7 races, bringing in over $1.7 million in career earnings. She just had an amazing win at Churchill Downs, finishing 2 1/4 lengths ahead. She tackled the 1 1/8-mile race on a sloppy track and clocked in at 1:50.15. She scored a career-best 95 Brisnet Speed Rating with this victory. “I thought she came out of the race incredibly well. If all goes to plan the next couple of weeks, we’re looking at the Acorn for her,” her trainer mentioned back then, and it seems like the horse is all set for the challenge.

Before the Kentucky Oaks, Good Cheer picked up wins in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks, really establishing herself as a strong contender among 3-year-old fillies. In the upcoming Acorn Stakes, Good Cheer is set to go up against six rivals, including some familiar faces from the Kentucky Oaks like La Cara, Bless the Broken, and Quickick.

If she puts in a solid performance here, it could open up opportunities for her to aim for some big races later in the season, like the Alabama Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup. Besides all the buzz, the festival is all about the Belmont Stakes, where we’ll get to see a rematch between the two standout colts of this horse racing season.

The rivals will clash at the Belmont Stakes

The growing rivalry between Sovereignty and Journalism is stealing the spotlight this season of the 2025 Triple Crown, and it’s got horse racing fans buzzing. Sovereignty, who is trained by Bill Mott and is owned by Godolphin, took home the win in the Kentucky Derby, making an impressive late push to get ahead of Journalism in the last stretch. Finally, Godolphin snagged its first Derby win after trying several times.

Sovereignty’s team decided to focus on rest and preparation, so they opted out of the Preakness Stakes. This choice sparked fresh conversations about the tough Triple Crown schedule. On the flip side, Journalism, with trainer Michael McCarthy at the helm, showed some real grit by taking part in all three Triple Crown races. After coming in second in the Derby, Journalism put in the effort and snagged a tough win at the Preakness Stakes, proving he’s a serious contender. People have praised and questioned his dedication to the classic Triple Crown route, especially when you think about how tough it can be on the horse’s body.

“Based off of what I saw here this morning, I’d be hard-pressed to find a reason not to enter. Very good [work], just kind of a maintenance work. Obviously, you saw him kind of pick it up through the lane and gallop out strongly—final quarter in 23 and three, 23 and four, something like that. Racetrack is probably a half-step quicker. He’s a wonderful mover. He gets over the ground very well. He’s got an incredible stride on him,” Michael McCarthy said while sharing an update on his colt.

In a much-anticipated rematch, these two champions will meet in the forthcoming Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Journalism is stepping into the race as the morning-line favorite at 8-5, while Sovereignty is right on its heels with 2-1 odds. Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who comes out on top between the two rivals in the final leg of the American Triple Crown series.