Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The race is the third and final leg of the US Triple Crown, following exactly five weeks after the Kentucky Derby, and three weeks after the Preakness Stakes. Consequently, it is run on Saturday, but never before June 5, nor after June 11.

The attendance at the Belmont Stakes ranks fourth in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races, including the Breeders' Cup. The attendance at the Belmont Stakes typically trails only the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Oaks. For more information, see American Thoroughbred Racing top Attended Events. The 2004 Belmont Stakes drew a massive television audience of 21.9 million viewers and had the highest household viewing rate since 1977 when Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown.^[1]

The 2012 Belmont Stakes will be run on June 9.^[2]

History

The first Belmont Stakes was held at Jerome Park Racetrack in The Bronx, built in 1866 by stock market speculator Leonard Jerome (1817–1891) and financed by August Belmont, Sr. (1816–1890), for whom the race was named. The race continued to be held at Jerome Park until 1890, when it was moved to the nearby facility, Morris Park Racecourse. The race remained there until the May 1905 opening of the new Belmont Park, 430 acres (1.7 km²) racetrack in Elmont, New York, on Long Island just outside the New York City borough of Queens.^[3]

When anti-gambling legislation was passed in New York State, Belmont Racetrack was closed, and the race was cancelled in 1911 and 1912.

The first post parade in the United States was at the 14th Belmont, in 1880. Before 1921, the race was run in the clockwise tradition of English racing. Since then, the race has been run in the American, or counter-clockwise, direction. The winner of the Belmont Stakes is presented the August Belmont Trophy, one of the most prestigious trophies in the country.

Because of its length (one lap around the enormous Belmont main track), and because it is the final race of the Triple Crown, it is called the "Test of the Champion". Most three-year-olds are unaccustomed to the distance, and lack the experience, if not the stamina, to maintain a winning speed for so long. In a long race such as the Belmont, positioning of the horse and the timing of the move to chase for the lead can be critical.

The race was held at Aqueduct Racetrack from 1963 to 1967, while the track at Belmont was restored and renovated.

Evolution of the Triple Crown series

Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, followed by the Preakness Stakes, and then the Belmont Stakes. Prior to 1931, eleven times the Preakness was run before the Derby. On May 12, 1917 and again on May 13, 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were run on the same day. On eleven occasions, the Belmont Stakes was run before the Preakness Stakes.^[4]

The Belmont Stakes is held on the first Saturday that falls on or after June 5. The Kentucky Derby is always held on the first Saturday in May; the Preakness Stakes is held two weeks later; and the Belmont Stakes is held three weeks after the Preakness. The earliest possible date for the Derby is May 1, and the latest is May 7; the earliest possible date for the Belmont is June 5, and the latest is June 11.

The first winner of the Triple Crown was Sir Barton, in 1919. On June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by thirty-one lengths, in a record time of 2:24, becoming a Triple Crown champion that year. His record still stands as the fastest speed for the Belmont Stakes. Count Fleet won the race by the large margin of twenty-five lengths in 1943.

Changes in distance

The Belmont Stakes was run at a mile and five furlongs from 1867 to 1873; a mile and a quarter in 1890, 1891, 1892, 1895, 1904 and 1905; a mile and a furlong in 1893 and 1894; a mile and three furlongs from 1896 to 1903 and from 1906 to 1925. The current distance of a mile and half was established in 1926.

Traditions

The Belmont Stakes is traditionally called "The Test of Champions" or "Run for the Carnations" because the winning horse is blanketed with white carnations. Through 1996, the post-parade song was "Sidewalks of New York." From 1997 to 2009, the audience was invited to sing the Theme from New York, New York following the call to the "post". In 2010, the song was Empire State of Mind. This tradition is similar to the singing of the state song at the post parades of the first two Triple Crown races: "My Old Kentucky Home" at the Kentucky Derby and "Maryland, My Maryland" at the Preakness Stakes.^[3]

Despite the fact that the Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the Triple Crown races, its traditions have been more subject to change. The switch of theme song from "The Sidewalks of New York" to "New York, New York" was an attempt to appeal to younger fans.^[5] That same year the official drink was also changed, from the "White Carnation" to the "Belmont Breeze."^[6] The New York Times reviewed both cocktails unfavorably, calling the Belmont Breeze "a significant improvement over the nigh undrinkable White Carnation" despite the fact that it "tastes like a refined trashcan punch."^[7]

More longstanding traditions are the trophy and blanket of flowers. The winning owner is presented with the silver winner's trophy, designed by Paulding Farnham for Tiffany and Co. It was first presented to a Belmont Stakes winner in 1869 and donated by the Belmont family for annual presentation in 1926. The winning horse is draped with a blanket of white carnations after the race, in similar fashion to the blanket of roses and black-eyed susans for the Derby and Preakness, respectively.

Broadcasting history

From 1986 until 2005, the Triple Crown television rights comprised a single package. In late 2004, the New York Racing Association withdrew from that agreement to negotiate independently.^[8] As a result of this NBC, who was the rights holder for all three events, was only able to keep its broadcast rights to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. ABC regained the rights to the Belmont Stakes as part of a five-year contract that expired following the 2010 race; NBC has since regained the rights to the race.

• CBS Sports 1960–1985^{[citation needed]} 
• ABC Sports 1986–2000
• NBC Sports 2001–2005, 2011-2015^[9]
• ESPN on ABC 2006–2010^[8]

Records

Speed record:

• 2:24.00 - Secretariat (1973)

Record Victory Margin:

• 31 lengths - Secretariat (1973)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 6 - Jim McLaughlin, Eddie Arcaro
• 5 - Earl Sande, Bill Shoemaker
• 3 - Braulio Baeza, Pat Day, Laffit Pincay, Jr., James Stout, Gary Stevens

Most wins by a trainer:

• 8 - James G. Rowe, Sr.
• 7 - Sam Hildreth
• 6 - Jim Fitzsimmons
• 5 - Woody Stephens (all consecutive from 1982–1986)
• 4 - Max Hirsch, D. Wayne Lukas, R. Wyndham Walden
• 3 - J. Elliott Burch, John M. Gaver, Sr., Lucien Laurin, Frank McCabe, David McDaniel

Most wins by an owner:

• 6 - Belair Stud (1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955)
• 6 - James R. Keene (1879, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910)
• 5 - Dwyer Brothers Stable (1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888)
• 4 - August Belmont, Jr./Blemton Stable (1896, 1902, 1916, 1917)
• 4 - Harry P. Whitney (1905, 1906, 1913, 1918)
• 4 - Glen Riddle Farm (1920, 1925, 1926, 1937)
• 4 - Greentree Stable (1931, 1942, 1949, 1968)

Other records:

• Only James G. Rowe, Sr. and George M. Odom have won the Belmont Stakes as both jockey and trainer.
• On June 5, 1993 Thoroughbred racing's all-time leading female jockey, Julie Krone, became the first woman to win a Triple Crown race when she rode to victory in the Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair.
• In 1984, Sarah Lundy became the first female trainer to saddle a horse in the Belmont Stakes.
• The 2002 race had the biggest attendance in the park's history with 103,222.
• Sarava, at odds of 70-1, upset War Emblem's bid for the Triple Crown.^[10]
• Braulio Baeza has the distinction of winning three Belmont Stakes over three different surfaces. He won in his Belmont Stakes debut on 65 to 1 long-shot Sherluck in 1961 at the old Belmont Park, won in 1963 on Chateaugay when the race was run at Aqueduct, and won in 1969 on Arts and Letters at the new Belmont Park.^[11]

Fillies in the Belmont

Three fillies have won the Belmont in 143 races:

• 1867 - Ruthless
• 1905 - Tanya
• 2007 - Rags to Riches

Three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby in 137 races, and three fillies have won the Belmont stakes in 143 races. On average, fillies have won between 2% and 3% of the Triple Crown races, with similar numbers for geldings; while about 95% of these high-stakes races have been won by uncastrated male horses, colts or stallions. (Until 1957 geldings were not allowed to run in the Belmont Stakes and that, due to the belief that fillies could not compete against colts, they were seldom entered into races in which primarily males ran.)

Foreign-born winners

• 1874 - Saxon
• 1898 - Bowling Brook
• 1917 - Hourless
• 1918 - Johren
• 1957 - Gallant Man
• 1958 - Cavan
• 1960 - Celtic Ash
• 1990 - Go And Go
• 1998 - Victory Gallop

Winners of the Belmont Stakes since 1867

A † designates a Triple Crown Winner.
A ‡ designates a filly.

Note: D. Wayne Lukas swept the 1995 Triple Crown with two different horses.

See also

• Triple Crown Productions
• American Thoroughbred Racing top Attended Events

References

External links

• Belmont Stakes Website
• ESPN.Com Attending the Belmont Stakes (gives future race dates)
• Details of all past Belmont Stakes courtesy of the New York Racing Association
• Belmont Stakes History & Facts