Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is the third jewel of the Triple Crown. It is held five weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

2021 Belmont Stakes Odds

PP	HORSE	JOCKEY	TRAINER	ODDS
1	Bourbonic	K. Carmouche	T. Pletcher	15-1
2	Essential	L. Saez	B. Cox	2-1
3	Rombauer	J. Velazquez	M. McCarthy	3-1
4	Hot Rod Charlie	F. Prat	D. O'Neill	7-2
5	France Go de Ina	R. Santana, Jr.	H. Mori	30-1
6	Known Agenda	I. Ortiz, Jr.	T. Pletcher	6-1
7	Rock Your World	J. Rosario	J. Sadler	9-2
8	Overtook	M. Franco	T. Pletcher	20-1

2021 Belmont Stakes Replay

June 5, 2021

Watch Essential Quality win the 2021 Belmont Stakes to cap this year’s Triple Crown. Essential Quality out-sprinted runner-up Hot Rod Charlie by a length and a half after the two were neck-and-neck in the final straightaway. Rombauer, the Preakness Stakes winner, finished third. Credits to the video owner.

Re-live the excitement of the 2021 Preakness Stakes and watch Rombauer win.

Belmont Stakes Winners

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Length	Track Condition	Time*
2020	Tiz the Law	Manny Franco	Barclay Tagg	Sackatoga Stable	1 1/8-miles	Fast	1:46.53
2019	Sir Winston	Joel Rosario	Mark E. Casse	Tracy Farmer	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:28.30
2018	Justify	Mike Smith	Bob Baffert	WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, et al.	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:28.18
2017	Tapwrit	José Ortiz	Todd Pletcher	Bridlewood Farm, et al.	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:30.02
2016	Creator	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Steve Asmussen	WinStar Farm	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:28.51
2015	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	Zayat Stables, LLC	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:26.65
2014	Tonalist	Joel Rosario	Christophe Clement	Robert S. Evans	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:28.52
2013	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	Dogwood Stable	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:30.70
2012	Union Rags	John Velazquez	Michael Matz	Phyllis M. Wyeth	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:30.42
2011	Ruler on Ice	Jose Valdivia Jr.	Kelly Breen	George and Lori Hall	1 ½-miles	Sloppy (sealed)	2:30.88
2010	Drosselmeyer	Mike Smith	William Mott	WinStar Farm LLC	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:31.57
2009	Summer Bird	Kent Desormeaux	Tim Ice	Kalarikkal & Vilasini Jayaraman	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:27.54
2008	Da'Tara	Alan Garcia	Nick Zito	Robert V. LaPenta	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:29.65
2007	Rags to Riches	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	M. Tabor & D. Smith	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:28.74
2006	Jazil	Fernando Jara	Kiaran McLaughlin	Shadwell Farm	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:27.86
2005	Afleet Alex	Jeremy Rose	Timothy Ritchey	Cash is King LLC	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:28.75
2004	Birdstone	Edgar Prado	Nick Zito	Marylou Whitney Stables	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:27.50
2003	Empire Maker	Jerry Bailey	Robert Frankel	Juddmonte Farms	1 ½-miles	Sloppy	2:28.26
2002	Sarava	Edgar Prado	Kenneth McPeek	New Phoenix Stable	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:29.71
2001	Point Given	Gary Stevens	Bob Baffert	The Thoroughbred Corp.	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:26.56
2000	Commendable	Pat Day	D. Wayne Lukas	Bob & Beverly Lewis	1 ½-miles	Fast	2:31.19

*Timed to the ¼ second 1867 to 1901 and 1903, and to the 1/5 second in 1902 and from 1904 to 1991. Decimal timing, to the nearest 1/100, is now used, though race calls and many charts still use fifths.

Belmont Stakes Records

Here are some interesting Belmont Stakes records:

Speed record:

• 2:24 flat – Secretariat (1973; 1+1/2 miles). Secretariat also holds the fastest ½-, ¾-, 1- and 1¼-mile fractions in Belmont history.
• 2:14.20 – Man o' War (1920; 1 3/8 miles)
• 2:56 flat – Harry Bassett (1871; 1 5/8 miles)
• 1:46.53 – Tiz the Law (2020; 1 1/8 miles)
• 2:06.60 – Delhi (1904; 1+1/4 miles)

Biggest Margin of Victory:

• 31 lengths – Secretariat (1973)
• 25 lengths – Count Fleet (1943)
• 20 lengths – Man o' War (1920)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 6 – Jim McLaughlin (1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888)
• 6 – Eddie Arcaro (1941, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1952, 1955)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 8 – James G. Rowe Sr.

Most wins by an owner:

• 6 – Belair Stud (1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955)
• 6 – James R. Keene (1879, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910)

History of the Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes, is named after August Belmont, a financier who made quite a name and fortune for himself in New York politics and society. Mr. Belmont was also quite involved in horse racing, and his imprint is even intertwined within the history of the Kentucky Derby.

The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three Triple Crown events. The Belmont predates the Preakness by six years and the Kentucky Derby by eight. The first running of the Belmont Stakes was in 1867 at Jerome Park, on, believe it or not, a Thursday. At a mile and five furlongs, the conditions included an entry fee of $200, half forfeit with $1,500 added.

Furthermore, not only is the Belmont the oldest Triple Crown race, but it is the fourth oldest race overall in North America. The Phoenix Stakes, now run in the fall at Keeneland as the Phoenix Breeders' Cup, was first run in 1831. The Queen's Plate in Canada made its debut in 1860, while the Travers in Saratoga opened in 1864. However, since there were gaps in sequence for the Travers, the Belmont is third only to the Phoenix and Queen's Plate in total runnings.

Some Key Belmont Moments

• In 1890, the Belmont was moved from Jerome Park to Morris Park, a mile and three-eighths track located a few miles east of what is now Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The Belmont was held at Morris Park until Belmont Park's opening in 1905.

• When Grey Lag won the Belmont in 1921, it marked the first running of the Belmont Stakes in the counter-clockwise manner of American fashion. This 53rd running was a mile and three-eighths over the main course; previous editions at Belmont Park had been run clockwise, in accordance with English custom, over a fish-hook course which included part of the training track and the main dirt oval.

• The first post parade in this country came in the 14th running of the Belmont in 1880. Until then the horses went directly from paddock to post.

• The Belmont Stakes was run at Jerome Park from 1867 to 1889; at Morris Park from 1890 to 1904; at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967. Not run in 1911 and 1912. 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. No time taken in 1907 and 1908. Run as a Handicap Stakes in 1895 and in 1913. The value for the 1987, 1988, and 1992 winners includes the $1,000,000 Triple Crown point system bonus.

Champion Sires

As a horse racing saying goes - champion horses breed champions. This holds true in the Belmont Stakes. A total of eleven Belmont Stakes winners have sired at least one other Belmont winner.

• Man o' War heads the list of Belmont champion sires. Not only did he win the race himself in 1920, but three of his subsequent sires won it as well: American Flag in 1925, Crusader in 1926 and War Admiral in 1937, who went on to win the Triple Crown.

• Commando won the 1901 running, then sired Peter Pan, the 1907 champ and the Colin, the 1908 winner.

• 1930 champion Gallant Fox sired both Omaha (1935) and Granville (1936).

• Count Fleet won the 1943 edition, and then sired back-to-back Belmont winners with Counterpoint (1951) and One Count (1952).

• 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew sired a Call To The Derby Post favorite in Swale, who won both the Derby and the Belmont in 1984, as well as A.P. Indy, who won the Belmont in 1992. 1999 Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid is also a descendant of the Slew.

• The following horses have sired one Belmont winner each: Duke of Magenta of 1878 sired Eric (1889); Spendthrift of 1879 sired Hastings (1896); Hastings then followed his again by siring Masterman, the 1902 winner. The Finn of 1915 sired Zev (1923); Sword Dancer of 1959 sired Damascus (1967); last but not least, Triple Crown winner Secretariat of 1973 sired Risen Star, the 1988 winner.

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