Seventeen Enjoyable Details Concerning the 2026 Belmont Stakes

This 12 months’s Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets might be held June 6, and for the third consecutive 12 months the ultimate jewel of the Triple Crown might be hosted by Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York.

The race historically is held at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and is scheduled to return there in 2027 after the famed racetrack completes its huge renovation.

The area for the 2026 Belmont Stakes might current a number of compelling storylines, most notably the possiblity of a rematch between the highest two finishers from this 12 months’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve: upset winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade. Golden Tempo’s return within the final leg of the Triple Crown might be his first begin since making historical past for his coach, Cherie DeVaux, who turned the primary girl to coach a Derby winner. He is the second straight Kentucky Derby winner whose connections skipped the Preakness in favor of making ready for the Belmomt Stakes after Sovereignty took that path in 2025.

To assist get you prepared for the ultimate jewel of the Triple Crown, under are 17 fascinating information in regards to the race referred to as the “Test of the Champion.”

1. The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three Triple Crown races. It was first held in 1867, and this 12 months is the 158th working, in contrast with the 152nd Derby May 2 and 151st Preakness May 16. The Belmont Stakes is the fourth-oldest stakes race in North America. The Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland was first run in 1831, the King’s Plate in Canada held its inaugural race in 1860, and the Travers Stakes began at Saratoga in 1864.

2. The 2020 Belmont Stakes marked the primary time since 1926 that the race was not contested at its famed 1 ½-mile distance, and for the three years at Saratoga (2024, 2025, and 2026) it will likely be held at 1 ¼ miles. The COVID-19 pandemic led to many racetracks being quickly shut down, the postponement or cancellation of key races on the Triple Crown path, and the interruption of coaching schedules for trainers and their racehorses. That prompted the Belmont Stakes to be held at 1 1/8 miles round one flip and scheduled as the primary leg of the Triple Crown as an alternative of the final one for the primary time within the race’s historical past. The race returned to its regular distance and placement as the ultimate leg of the Triple Crown for the subsequent three editions, however the development undertaking nearing completion at Belmont Park once more led to modifications the final two years. Belmont Park options a 1 ½-mile oval, whereas Saratoga Race Course is a 1 1/8-mile essential monitor. Saratoga’s format makes it almost inconceivable to carry 1 ½-mile races on the primary monitor, thus the Belmont Stakes was held at 1 ¼ miles final 12 months and might be held at that distance once more in 2025. That’s the identical distance because the Kentucky Derby and Saratoga’s signature summer season race, the Travers Stakes. 

3. A report crowd of 120,139 turned out to look at Smarty Jones vie for the Triple Crown in 2004. The fan favourite was crushed by 36-1 longshot Birdstone. The second-largest crowd of 103,322 got here two years beforehand when 70.25-1 Sarava upset War Emblem within the latter’s bid for a Triple Crown in 2002. 

4. Historically, the betting favourite has received the Belmont Stakes 42% of the time (66 of 157 runnings) and 4 of the final eight editions featured profitable favorites: Mo Donegal (2022), Essential Quality (2021), Tiz the Law (2020), and Justify (2018). Sir Winston in 2019 paid $22.40 for a $2 win guess; Arcangelo in 2023 was the fifth selection within the betting, returning $17.80 for a $2 win guess; Dornoch was the third-highest worth on the board from 10 starters in 2024, paying $37.40 for a $2 win guess after being ignored at 17.70-1 odds; and 2025 winner Sovereignty was the 5-2 second betting selection popping out of his Kentucky Derby win after bypassing the Preakness.

5. A pair of Triple Crown winners owns the 2 largest profitable margins within the Belmont. Secretariat received by 31 lengths in 1973 and Count Fleet received by 25 lengths 30 years prior. Who owns the biggest profitable margin within the Belmont Stakes since Secretariat? Well, that may be Secretariat’s son Risen Star, who in 1988 received the Belmont Stakes by 14 3¾ lengths in a panoramic efficiency.

6. Speaking of Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner set a world report for 1 ½ miles on the dust when he received the 1973 Belmont in 2:24. He was so quick that Secretariat additionally holds the report for the quickest half-mile, three-quarters of a mile, one-mile, and 1 ¼-mile fractions in Belmont Stakes historical past. Obviously, there isn’t a probability for the 1 ½-mile stakes report to be damaged this 12 months due to the space change to 1 ¼ miles. Could Secretariat’s 1 ¼-mile fractional time of 1:59 be bettered? Considering the stakes report for 1 ¼-mile Travers Stakes, the “Mid-Summer Derby” at Saratoga, is 1:59.36 set by Arrogate in 2016, it appears not possible but rather more practical than any racehorse finishing 1 ½ miles in lower than 2:24.

7. The first Belmont Stakes featured a complete purse of $2,500, with the filly Ruthless taking residence the $1,850 winner’s share. This 12 months’s race is value $2 million, together with $1.2 million for the winner.

8. From 1882 by 1888, jockey James McLaughlin received six editions of the Belmont Stakes within the span of seven years. McLaughlin established the report for essentially the most Belmont wins by a jockey that Eddie Arcaro equaled in 1955 along with his sixth and closing Belmont Stakes victory aboard Nashua. The main energetic rider is Mike Smith with three wins within the race: Drosselmeyer (2010), Palace Malice (2013) and Justify (2018). 

9. Trainer James Rowe Sr. in 1913 received his eighth Belmont Stakes with Prince Eugene, establishing a report has by no means been damaged. Rowe additionally received the Belmont twice as a jockey in 1872 on Joe Daniels and 1873 aboard Springbok. The solely different individual to each trip and practice a Belmont Stakes winner is George Martin Odom, who rode Delhi (1904) to victory and in 1938 saddled winner Pasteurized.

10. The main energetic coach by Belmont Stakes victories is Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher with 4. PLetcher was an assistant to Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who additionally received received the race 4 instances with Tabasco Cat (1994), Thunder Gulch (1995), Editor’s Note (1996), and Commendable (2000) earlier than his passing in June 2025. Pletcher’s victories got here with the filly Rags to Riches in 2007 in addition to Palace Malice (2013), Tapwrit (2017), and Mo Donegal (2022). 

11. Julie Krone within the 1993 Belmont Stakes turned the primary girl to trip a winner in a U.S. Triple Crown race. Krone guided longshot Colonial Affair from off the tempo to win by 2 ¼ lengths.

12. In 2023, 30 years after Krone’s accomplishment, Jena Antonucci turned the primary girl to coach the winner of the Belmont Stakes when Arcangelo scored by 1 ½ lengths. Antonucci was solely the 11^th girl to saddle a horse within the “Test of the Champion” and the primary since 2011. Cherie DeVaux likewise made historical past as the primary girl to saddle a Kentucky Derby victor on May 2 and can ship out Golden Tempo on this 12 months’s Belmont Stakes seeking a second traditional win.

13. The aforementioned Sarava gave bettors the largest win payout within the historical past of the Belmont at odds of 70.25-1. His 2002 win earned bettors $142.50 for each $2 guess and the $2 exacta with runner-up Medaglia d’Oro paid $2,454 after Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem stumbled initially and completed eighth.

14. The 1921 Belmont Stakes was the primary to be run within the counter-clockwise path. That 12 months, the 53^rd working of the Belmont Stakes was a 1 3/8-mile race on the primary monitor. Previous editions had been run clockwise, in accordance with English customized, on a fish-hook-shaped course that included a part of the coaching monitor and the primary dust oval.

15. Twenty-one editions of the Belmont Stakes have been received by horses whose names started with the letter C, most just lately Creator in 2016. The letter S ranks second with 20 winners, together with Sovereignty final 12 months, whereas no Belmont winner’s identify has ever began with the letters X or Y. 

16. Tiz the Law in 2020 turned the primary New York-bred winner of the Belmont Stakes in a exceptional 138 years. He joined Ruthless (1867), Fenian (1869), and Forester (1882) within the historical past books as the one New York-bred winners of the race.

17. In 2006 and 2007, Better Than Honour produced back-to-back Belmont Stakes winners: Jazil, by Seeking the Gold, and Rags to Riches, by A.P. Indy. Rags to Riches in 2007 turned the primary filly to win the Belmont Stakes since Tanya in 1905 and solely the third feminine winner within the historical past of the race and adopted her half-sibling’s win a 12 months previous to etch Better Than Honour’s identify into the horse racing historical past books.