The Belmont Stakes

 

History

The inaugural Belmont Stakes race was contested at Jerome Park in the Bronx in 1867. Leonard Jerome, a well-known financier, and equestrian lover founded the competition. The event was then known as the “Belmont Stakes” in honor of August Belmont Sr., a well-known businessman and horse breeder who contributed to the funding of Jerome Park’s development.

In 1905, the race was moved to the Belmont Park racetrack, where it is now held. The Belmont Stakes, drawing elite horses and jockeys from all over the world, has developed over time into one of the most prestigious horse racing competitions in the world.

The year 1973 was one of the most significant events in the race’s history when Secretariat won Belmont Stakes and became the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 25 years. The event became one of the most significant races in the sport as a result of the Secretariat’s record-breaking victory, which still holds today.

American Pharoah’s victory in 2015, which ended a 37-year Triple Crown drought, and Rags to Riches’ victory in 2007 made her the first filly to win the race in more than a century, are two other significant occasions in Belmont Stakes history.

The Race

After the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, a 1.5-mile (12-furlong) event for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, serves as the third and concluding race in the Triple Crown series. Every year, the event is conducted at Elmont, New York’s Belmont Park racetrack on the first or second Saturday in June.

The Belmont Stakes is the longest of the other Triple Crown races, making its distance distinct from those of the other two. For horses to succeed over this distance, they must possess both speed and stamina, and many view the race as one of the most difficult assessments of a young Thoroughbred’s competence.