The Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets is famous for being the final leg of the Triple Crown, but it’s so much more than that. From its history to fun facts, we have all of the information you need to know as we head into a huge day of racing.

There is a notable and intriguing twist to the Belmont Stakes this year. The race typically is held at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., however the famed track currently is undergoing a massive renovation. That construction necessitated the shifting of its signature race to upstate New York for two years (2024 and 2025) where it will be held at Saratoga Race Course, another iconic horse racing venue.

With that in mind, let’s explore the Belmont Stakes, why it’s important, the history behind the race, what will change in 2024 and 2025, and how best to enjoy the final jewel of the Triple Crown.

Who: Elite 3-year-old Thoroughbreds

2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Eclipse Sportswire)

Winning the Belmont Stakes is literally a once-in-a-lifetime chance for horses since the race is only open to 3-year-old Thoroughbreds. Let’s look at it this way: 17,779 registered Thoroughbreds were born in 2021, and of those, only one can be the Belmont Stakes winner.

While the Belmont Stakes is open to both male and female horses, only three fillies have ever captured the race: Ruthless in 1867, Tanya in 1905, and Rags to Riches in 2007.

Fun fact: the Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the Triple Crown races; it was first run in 1867, while the Preakness began in 1873 and the Kentucky Derby in 1875. It will be held for the 156th time in 2024.

What: Test of the Champion

The Belmont Stakes earned its nickname of the “Test of the Champion” honestly. The final jewel of the Triple Crown traditionally is held at a mile and a half – the longest of the Triple Crown races and, in large part, the reason only 13 horses have won the Triple Crown out of 35 Thoroughbreds who have come into the Belmont with Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes victories behind them.

However, because of the venue change from Belmont Park, a 1 ½-mile oval, to Saratoga Race Course, which is a 1 1/8-mile main track, the Belmont Stakes will be shortened for the next two editions. Saratoga’s layout makes it nearly impossible to hold 1 ½-mile races on the main track, therefore the Belmont Stakes will be held at 1 ¼ miles for the next two years. That’s the same distance as the Kentucky Derby and Saratoga’s signature summer race, the Travers Stakes.

The distance change for the Belmont Stakes is far from unprecedented. In 2020, the race was held at 1 1/8 miles because it served as the first race of that year’s Triple Crown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While most editions of the race have been contested at the mile-and-a-half distance, the Belmont Stakes has also been held over the years at 1 1/8 miles (1893, 1894, 2020), 1 ¼ miles (1890-92, 1895, 1904-05), 1 3/8 miles (1896-1903 and 1906-1925), and 1 5/8 miles (1867-1873).

Fun fact: Saratoga has a reputation as a tough place to win as the favorite. In fact, you will often hear one of two iterations of the same nickname when referring to Saratoga: “The Graveyard of Favorites” or “The Graveyard of Champions”. Why? Saratoga is where Upset beat the great Man o’ War in the 1919 Sanford Memorial Stakes and Onion defeated Secretariat in the 1973 Whitney Handicap. More recently, Keen Ice upset Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers Stakes, so there is some truth to Saratoga’s ominous alias.

When: Saturday, June 8

Traditionally, the Belmont Stakes is run as the third leg of the Triple Crown, three weeks after the Preakness Stakes. That’s not always the case, though: because 2020 was just weird in general, the Belmont was the first leg of the series that year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time in its long history. The Belmont returned to its anchor spot in the Triple Crown in 2021 and has remained the final jewel since then.

Fun fact: the first running of the Belmont Stakes in 1867 took place on a Thursday.

Where: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and located approximately 40 miles north of Albany, Saratoga Springs is a place of serene natural beauty. Saratoga Springs is easily accessible by plane, car, and train and is (relatively) equidistant to Boston, New York, and Montreal, Canada. The track and town are colloquially called “The Spa” because the city sits on top of natural springs with waters rumored to bring good health to humans and horses. Saratoga became a playground for the rich throughout the Gilded Age thanks to the mineral water and the race meet, and there are still bathhouses and drinking pavilions galore throughout the town.

Fun fact: Amtrak trains go directly to Saratoga Springs from both New York City and Montreal, making the destination an easy trip for city dwellers without cars.

Why: New York History

The very first edition of the Belmont Stakes was run at Jerome Park in the Bronx in 1867, but the race has been moved several times around New York City and its suburbs since its inception. It was held at the now-defunct Morris Park until 1905, when the race moved to the newly-constructed Belmont Park in Elmont. Of course, this year the Belmont Stakes will detour north to Saratoga Springs for the first time.

Fun fact: The largest Belmont Stakes crowd was in 2004 when 120,139 fans hoped to see Smarty Jones capture the Triple Crown (he came up just short, losing in an upset to Birdstone). Saratoga Race Course has a capacity of roughly 50,000, so don't expect any an attendance record this June!

What to Expect in 2024

Saratoga Race Course is a significantly smaller venue than Belmont Park and tickets for Belmont Stakes day are sold out, although single-day General Admission and Premium Hospitality seats are still available June 6, 7 and 9, while supplies last.

Parking will be limited and the venue strongly recommends purchasing parking in advance. Race-day parking will be sold on a first-come, first-sold basis.

For those who have tickets, an official pocket program is included with every ticket purchased for the Belmont Stakes. Also, please be aware that certain ticketed sections do have a dress code, so if you are planning to attend check out this handy guide for an overview of what to wear in different areas.

On both Thursday, June 6, and Sunday, June 9, admission gates open to the public at 11 a.m. ET prior to post time at 12:50 p.m. On Friday, June 7, admission gates open to the public at 10:30 a.m. prior to 12:20 p.m. post time. Belmont Stakes Day, June 8, will feature an early post time of 10:45 a.m. Admission gates open to the public on Saturday at 9 a.m.

A comprehensive list of permitted and prohibited items can be found at Belmont Stakes Policies.

Planning to watch at home? This year, television coverage of the Belmont Stakes will be offered by Fox Sports. The Belmont will be shown live nationally on FOX during a broadcast starting at 4 p.m. ET. Additional coverage of other racing from Saratoga Race Course during Belmont Stakes weekend will air on FS1 and FS2 during an action-packed four days of racing from June 6-9.

Wanna Bet?

Bet a few bucks on the Belmont! (Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing)

It’s incredibly easy to bet the Belmont Stakes, even if you’re not able to attend. It’s legal in 37 states to bet from home using what’s called an “advance deposit wagering” platform – essentially an app or website that allows you to load up your account and bet from wherever you like. One piece of advice: the key word here is “advance,” so make sure to set your account up as early as possible since sometimes it takes a day to process the funds. The official wagering platform of the Belmont Stakes is NYRA Bets, so keep an eye out for promotions and sign-up deals from them as we get closer to the big race.

The team at America’s Best Racing also put our heads together to provide some Dos and Don’ts for betting online, and we even have the leading tool in the sport for figuring out how to make your bets and what they’ll cost: ABR’s Gambling Calculator, presented by NYRA Bets.

Check back for a slideshow of the Belmont Stakes contenders and our handy Belmont Stakes Cheat Sheet to help you pick your Belmont Stakes horse. We also will have an easy “At a Glance” look at the field as well as a historical look at trends to keep an eye on when betting the race.

If you’re new to betting on horse racing, welcome! We’re here to help. If you need some information on how to start, we have a post called “Betting on Horse Racing, Explained” with a focus on bettors just like you. Here’s a taste to whet your appetite:

The Basics

Win bet – A bet on a horse to finish first.

Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.

Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.

In the money – A horse that finishes first, second, or third.

Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways; if second, two ways (place, show); and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. It's actually three bets.

Morning line – The odds that the track handicapper predicts a horse will be to win the race when it starts.

Fun fact: the biggest payout for a $2 win bet in the Belmont Stakes came in 2002 when Sarava returned $142.50 to savvy horseplayers.

A Tradition of Traditions ... and New Traditions?

You know about mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby and the party at the Preakness, so of course the Belmont Stakes comes with its own traditions. “New York, New York” is the traditional song sung as the Belmont Stakes horses make their way to the starting gate; the tradition started in 1997. Before that, it was “Sidewalks of New York,” and in 2010 “Empire State of Mind” was performed.

A Belmont Jewel spritz (Bocage Champagne Bar photo)

And as the Kentucky Derby horses run for the roses and the Preakness winner is awarded black-eyed Susans, the Belmont Stakes victor dons a blanket of white carnations before stepping into the winner’s circle. Other Belmont traditions include the presentation of the August Belmont Memorial Cup, a sterling silver bowl and lid made by Tiffany and Company.

Will there be any new traditions started for 2024 related to the venue change to Saratoga Springs? We'll find out June 8.

Fun fact: the official drink of the Belmont Stakes is the Belmont Jewel: it’s a 1.5 oz. of bourbon, 2 oz. of lemonade, 1 oz. of pomegranate juice, and orange zest. 

Bocage Champagne Bar, a boutique restaurant in Saratoga Springs, will present a fresh take on the classic Belmont Stakes drink in offering the Belmont Jewel as a spritz that includes rye, lemonade and pomegranate juice, topped with St. Kilda’s brut cuvee. Bocage Champagne Bar calls the spritz a “flirtier” take on the classic and it reportedly already is a crowd favorite.

More About the Horses

Racehorses come in many different sizes, ranging from about 900 to 1,400 pounds, and colors, including Bay, Black, Chestnut, Dark Bay or Brown, or Gray or Roan. There also has been in recent years an increase in White Thoroughbreds. Many racehorses stand out because of markings, like a white blaze or star on their heads or one or more white legs or feet. When a Thoroughbred is born, it is called a foal, which is a name for a young horse in the first year of its life. Thoroughbreds are called weanlings after they have been separated from their mothers; and a yearling refers to a male or female Thoroughbred in its second calendar year of life, which commences Jan. 1 of the year following its birth. Jan. 1 is the official birthday for all Thoroughbreds. All Thoroughbred racehorses must be registered according to the guidelines of The Jockey Club and they begin racing in the spring of their 2-year-olds season or later depending on their physical and mental development and how they train.

Fun fact: “C” is the most popular letter to start the names of Belmont Stakes winners. Twenty horses whose names start with “C” have crossed the finish line first. No horses have won whose names have started with the letters “Y” or “X”. Arcangelo in 2023 was the 12th Belmont Stakes winner whose name started with the letter "A".

Life After the Races

Some of the best male and female racehorses go on to a breeding career in retirement, but only the best male racehorses become sires (fathers) and roughly 27,000 to 33,000 female Thoroughbreds are bred each year. The good news is Thoroughbred racehorses are incredibly versatile and often go on to second careers at what is called OTTBs (off-track Thoroughbreds).

Thoroughbreds are smart, competitive animals and if they’ve spent time stabled at a racetrack, which the vast majority have, they’ve seen and heard pretty much everything. Retired racehorses can go on to second careers in Dressage, Eventing, Show Jumping, Polo, etc. Each year the Retired Racehorse Project hosts the Thoroughbred Makeover, the largest Thoroughbred retraining competition in the world for recently-retired ex-racehorses. OTTBs can become pleasure horses and sometimes they just live a life of leisure, ranging from those at Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky. to others who simply get adopted by someone who followed their career or loves horses. In recent years, studies have also shown racehorses can be powerful partners for therapy, including Equine-Assisted Therapy for treating veterans with PTSD and the Square Peg Foundation for students. The Thoroughbred industry created the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, funded initially by Breeders’ Cup Ltd., The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association. The TAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Since 2012, the TAA has granted more than $31.9 million to accredited aftercare organizations and 16,500 Thoroughbreds have been retrained, rehomed, or retired by accredited organizations.

For much more on this topic, visit our Horses First page.

Five Fast Facts About the Belmont Stakes

1. Horses starting from post position 1 have won the Belmont most frequently with 24 victories; post 2 has yielded 13 winners (including Essential Quality in 2021), post 3 has produced 16 winners (inclduing Arcangelo in 2023), and post 4 has produced 10 winners. Starting the Belmont Stakes from an inside spot certainly yields results!
2. The great Secretariat holds two records in the Belmont Stakes: the largest winning margin of 31 lengths and the fastest time for the mile-and-a-half distance of 2:24 minutes.
3. The 2014 Belmont Stakes set a record for money wagered: $83,054,106 was bet on the third leg of the Triple Crown.
4. Favorites win the Belmont fairly consistently: 43% (66 editions) of 155 Belmont Stakes have been won by the horseplayers’ choice.
5. The largest Belmont Stakes field came in 1983 when 15 horses ran; two-horse fields have happened five times: in 1887, 1888, 1892, 1910 and when the legendary Man o’ War won in 1920.