Belmont Stakes at Belmont Race Course

Triple Crown horse Racing
The Belmont Stakes is the last leg of the run for the Triple Crown, horse racing's greatest honor. To win the Triple Crown, a horse must first win the Kentucky Derby, then the Preakness Stakes, and then the Belmont Stakes.

Possible Belmont Stakes Contenders

Belmont Stakes History:
 

The oldest of America's Triple Crown races, the Belmont has established itself as the ultimate test of championship stamina in the US. with the exception of 1911 and 1912, The 1926 Belmont was run at 1-1/2 miles and was won by Crusader, a son of the legendary Man o' War, in a time of 2:32-1/5.

The race has been run at that distance ever since. Its 1-1/2-mile distance now has become a rarity in American dirt races.

The Belmont Stakes was first run on June 19, 1867, at the Jerome Park race course, an oddly shaped, English-style track that required its runners to negotiate three turns instead of two because of a dip in the middle of the backstretch. A filly, Ruthless, won the first Belmont's $1,850 winners purse, outlasting DeCourcey by a head. The Belmont was even longer in its early days, contested at 1-5/8 miles through 1873. From the years between 1890 through 1926, the race dropped down to distances varying between 1-1/8 and 1-3/8 miles.

Belmont Stakes Past Winners

In 2010 The last leg of the US Triple Crown, 2010 Belmont Stakes, became the scene of a surprise win when Drosselmeyer unleashed his inner warrior and raced to a narrow victory. The 12-1 odds three-year-old was rarely noticed during the course of the race. He was neither part of the leading field, comprised of First Dude, Game On Dude, Fly Down and Interactif; nor was he struggling at the end of the chasing field, alongside favourite Ice Box, Make Music For Me and Dave In Dixie. It was not until the final three furlongs that Drosselmeyer’s jockey Mike Smith gave his mount the signal to charge.
In 2009 Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who finished second twice before at the Belmont Stakes, wins the 2009 Belmont Stakes riding Summer Bird. The other bird, Mine That Bird, hung back for most of the race and then made an early move — maybe a bit too early — to push for the lead but ended up taking third place and still in the money. Dunkirk finished in second place.
In 2008 - Da'Tara came in first place to make Triple Crown history; Denis of Cork took second place and Anak Nakal came in third. Big Brown became the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish last. Since Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978, 10 horses have tried to capture the title and all 10 had failed.
In 2007, the winner was Rags to Riches led by Jockey John Velazquez. On a minimum $2 bet, Rags to Riches paid out $10.60 for a win, $4.40 for place and $3.20 for show..