So what are Jody Demling's 2018 Belmont picks? Where does Justify finish? And what long shot do you need to jump on? Visit SportsLine now to get Jody Demling's Belmont Stakes picks and predictions for every single horse, all from the horse racing guru who nailed the 1-2 finish and superfecta last year.
When Justify takes the track at Belmont Park on Saturday and tries to win trainer Bob Baffert his second American Triple Crown in four years, he probably won't lack an audience -- or at least a cheap one. Because on the heels of the Triple Crown's last leg, Belmont Stakes ticket prices are through the roof, according to online marketplaces.
One of the resale markets, Vivid Seats, reveals that tickets for this weekend's race cost an average of 145 percent more than Belmont Stakes admission from 2017.
The monumental increase isn't a complete surprise considering that it's not every year a horse has a chance to win all three Triple Crown races -- something that's been done only 12 times, starting with Sir Barton capturing the first title in 1919. But this year's costs, at least on Vivid Seats, top even those of 2015, when Baffert's American Pharaoh became the first horse in almost 40 years to win the Triple Crown.
"The possibility of another Triple Crown this year has elevated ticket prices to the highest fee since 2014, with an average reserved seat at $314," says Vivid Seats. "Once the Kentucky Derby winner captures the Preakness (Stakes), ticket prices for the Belmont soar. In 2015, tickets sold after the Preakness were 132 percent more expensive than sold before the Preakness."
Here's, roughly, on average, what reserved Belmont Stakes tickets have cost since 2014, per Vivid Seats:
2018: $314
2017: $128
2016: $125
2015: $262
2014: $300
