The third and final leg of the Triple Crown races is set to take place this Saturday. While there will be no Triple Crown winner in 2024, there is still lots to look forward to on race day! This year, the Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course for the first time while its long-time home, Belmont Park, undergoes new construction. Read on to discover more Belmont fun facts about the thrilling race before post time on Saturday.
Facts About the Race
1. The total purse for the Belmont Stakes this year is $2 million, $1.2 million of which will be heading home with the winner. The Preakness Stakes also had a $2 million purse, while the Kentucky Derby topped out at $5 million.
2. While the Kentucky Derby has roses and the Preakness has black-eyed susans, the Belmont has carnations. The winner is adorned with a 40-pound blanket of about 700 flowers, which signifies love and luck.
3. Belmont Park has the largest dirt track in all of North America. At 1 ½ miles long, this length truly is “The Test Of The Champion.” (While at Saratoga, the race will match the Kentucky Derby and Preakness at 1 ¼ mile long.)
4. Until 1921, horses ran clockwise around the track. That year was the first to break away from English tradition and run in the counter-clockwise direction we are all familiar with today.
Facts About the Winners
1. The 1973 Triple Crown Winner “Secretariat” still holds the record for the fastest 1 ½ miles on dirt, set while winning in extraordinary fashion at the Belmont. Perhaps even more impressive, he holds the record for the fastest ½-mile, ¾-mile, 1-mile, and 1 ¼-mile fractions in Belmont Stakes history.
2. A filly won the first-ever Belmont Stakes. Aptly named, “Ruthless” took home the winner’s share of $2500 that year. Since then, only two other fillies have won the race – Tanya in 1905 and Rags to Riches in 2007.
3. In the 1993 Belmont Stakes, Julie Krone became the first woman to ride to a win in a Triple Crown race. She won that year aboard Colonial Affair.
4. With Arcangelo’s win last year (2023), Jena Antonucci became the first woman to train a Triple Crown Race winner. She perfectly conditioned Arcangelo, who crossed the finish line with Javier Castellano aboard, 1 ½ lengths ahead of the favorite, Forte.
5. Geldings were prohibited from competing in the Belmont Stakes from 1919 through 1957. Creme Fraiche was the first gelding to win the Belmont Stakes in 1985.
6. The longest shot to win the Belmont was Sarava in 2002. He went off at 70.25-1 odds, giving bettors $142.50 per $2 bet. Who is your pick this year?
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Learn More
Discover more fun facts about the earlier legs of the Triple Crown races – the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.
Thank you, BelmontStakes.com, for supplying the facts in this blog.
