belmont stakes

The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of 1

1⁄2 miles (12 furlongs; 2,414 metres). Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The race, nicknamed The Test of the Champion, The Test of Champions and The Run for the Carnations, is the traditional third and final leg of the Triple Crown. It is usually held on the first or second Saturday in June, five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks after the Preakness Stakes. The 1973 Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown winner Secretariat holds the track record (which is also a world record on dirt) of 2:24.

The race covers one full lap of Belmont Park, known as "The Championship Track" because nearly every major American champion in racing history has competed on the racetrack. Belmont Park, with its large, wide, sweeping turns and long homestretch, is considered one of the fairest racetracks in America. Despite the distance, the race tends to favor horses with tactical speed: relatively few winners close from far behind the early leaders.

The attendance at the Belmont Stakes is among the American thoroughbred racing top-attended events. The 2004 Belmont Stakes drew a television audience of 21.9 million viewers, and had the highest household viewing rate since 1977 when Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown.

Origins and Traditions

First run in 1867 at Jerome Park, the Belmont Stakes is older than both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. Named after financier August Belmont Sr., it is traditionally hosted at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The winner of the "Run for the Carnations" is draped in a blanket of white carnations. The race will shift back to its permanent home at Belmont Park in 2027 following the completion of a major facility renovation.

june 5, 2027

Previous Races of Belmont Winners (Past 50 Years)

Year - Belmont Stakes Winner - Previous Race - Finish in Prev. Race

2026 - Golden Tempo - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

2025 - Sovereignty - Kentucky Derby - 14th

2024 - Dornoch - Preakness Stakes - 4th

2023 - Arcangelo - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

2022 - Mo Donegal - Kentucky Derby - 5th

2021 - Essential Quality - Kentucky Derby - 4th

2020 - Tiz the Law - Florida Derby - 1st

2019 - Sir Winston - Peter Pan Stakes - 2nd

2018 - Justify (Triple Crown) - Preakness Stakes - 1st

2017 - Tapwrit - Kentucky Derby - 6th

2016 - Creator - Preakness Stakes - 13th

2015 - American Pharoah (TC) - Preakness Stakes - 1st

2014 - Tonalist - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

2013 - Palace Malice - Kentucky Derby - 12th

2012 - Union Rags - Kentucky Derby - 7th

2011 - Ruler On Ice - Federico Tesio Stakes - 2nd

2010 - Drosselmeyer - Dwyer Stakes - 2nd

2009 - Summer Bird - Preakness Stakes - 4th

2008 - Da' Tara - Peter Pan Stakes - 2nd

2007 - Rags to Riches (Filly) - Kentucky Oaks - 1st

2006 - Jazil - Kentucky Derby - 4th

2005 - Afleet Alex - Preakness Stakes - 1st

2004 - Birdstone - Kentucky Derby - 8th

2003 - Touch Gold - Preakness Stakes - 4th

2002 - Sarava - Sir Barton Stakes - 1st

2001 - Point Given - Preakness Stakes - 1st

2000 - Commendable - Kentucky Derby - 17th

1999 - Lemon Drop Kid - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

1998 - Victory Gallop - Preakness Stakes - 2nd

1997 - Touch Gold - Preakness Stakes - 4th

1996 - Editor's Note - Preakness Stakes - 3rd

1995 - Thunder Gulch - Preakness Stakes - 3rd

1994 - Tabasco Cat - Preakness Stakes - 1st

1993 - Colonial Affair - Peter Pan Stakes - 2nd

1992 - A.P. Indy - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

1991 - Hansel - Preakness Stakes - 1st

1990 - Go and Go - Irish 2,000 Guineas - 4th

1989 - Easy Goer - Preakness Stakes - 2nd

1988 - Risen Star - Preakness Stakes - 1st

1987 - Bet Twice - Preakness Stakes - 2nd

1986 - Danzig Connection - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

1985 - Creme Fraiche - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

1984 - Swale - Preakness Stakes - 7th

1983 - Caveat - Preakness Stakes - 3rd

1982 - Conquistador Cielo - Metropolitan Handicap - 1st

1981 - Summing - Pegasus Handicap - 1st

1980 - Temperence Hill - Arkansas Derby - 1st

1979 - Coastal - Peter Pan Stakes - 1st

1978 - Affirmed (Triple Crown) - Preakness Stakes - 1st

1977 - Seattle Slew (Triple Crown) - Preakness Stakes - 1st

Key Historical Takeaways

• The Local Path (The Peter Pan Route): Belmont Park's local prep, the Peter Pan Stakes, has been an incredibly lethal springboard. Over the past 50 years, 11 horses used it to skip or regroup from earlier Triple Crown legs and defeat tired horses coming through the full series (e.g., Tonalist, Arcangelo, and Golden Tempo).

• The "Bounce-Back" Factor: Unlike the Preakness, where previous form holds tightly, the Belmont is famous for massive form reversals. Sovereignty (2025) bounced back from a 14th-place Derby finish, Creator (2016) won after a 13th-place finish in Baltimore, and Commendable (2000) won the Belmont after finishing 17th at Churchill Downs. 

• The 2020 Anomaly: Due to the global pandemic, Tiz the Law's Belmont win came out of the Florida Derby rather than the traditional late spring slots because the Belmont was temporarily modified to a shorter 1-1/8 miles as the opening leg of the rearranged 2020 Triple Crown series

Favorite Belmont Angles

Betting horse coming out of Peter Pan, A good prep with a 1st or 2nd place finish.

Betting horse that ran 2nd in Preakness can often turn the tide with added distance of Belmont. I bet on Bet Twice and Easy Goer for those reasons and that's why i remember. 

This race produces a lot of longshots historically. I remember betting Da Tara and Lemon Drop Kid. Both came out of Peter Pan.