HORSE RACING: The Belmont Stakes: An American Classic comes to Saratoga

Few thoroughbred races worldwide can match the stature and historical significance of the Belmont Stakes. While the Kentucky Derby has greater name recognition to casual fans and is an event of widespread cultural appeal, the Belmont can claim two significant things the Derby can’t – its role of stamping greatness as the definitive third jewel in the American Triple Crown series and its legacy impact as the race that has produced more Hall of Fame members than any other.

Through 2023, the Belmont has had 40 of its winners enshrined in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame, more than both the Derby (36) and Preakness Stakes (34), the first and second legs of the Triple Crown, respectively.

As a championship-level event, the Belmont can certainly be described as a Super Bowl. Justify, the most recent Triple Crown winner in 2018, will add to those totals when he is officially inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer.

The history of the Belmont traces back to 1867, giving it the distinction of being the oldest of the Triple Crown races, predating the inaugural Preakness (1873) by six years and the first Derby (1875) by eight. More history will be made Saturday and again in 2025 with the 156th and 157th runnings of the Belmont taking place at Saratoga Race Course.

The two-year move to the Spa City and America’s oldest racetrack coincides with Belmont Park undergoing a transformative modernization project, the first significant upgrades to the venerable facility since the 1960s. The two editions of the Belmont at Saratoga will be run at 1¼ miles as opposed to the 1½-mile traditional distance at Belmont Park.

The two-year venue change to Saratoga will add some more twists and turns to the story of the Belmont.

Throughout its remarkable history, the race has been defined in large part by the celebrated traditions of its distance, location, and stature. At 1½ miles on the dirt at the iconic Belmont Park, the event matured into an American sporting institution. A deep dive into the Belmont’s archives, however, reveals a legacy that has experienced significant alterations to many of its characteristics since Hall of Fame filly Ruthless prevailed in the 1867 inaugural edition.

Coming to Saratoga is just the latest element of the race’s evolution. Long referred to as the “Test of the Champion,” the Belmont has been a signature contest in thoroughbred racing since its inception, a challenge requiring the talent, stamina, and heart possessed by all great racehorses.

But while the traits of its winners have remained consistent, the race itself has undergone substantial variations. Distance, location, and race conditions have fluctuated … and that’s
only the beginning. Customarily held in early June, the Belmont once took place in November. There was also an edition that was held at the same track on the same card as the Preakness Stakes.

Truth really can be stranger than fiction.

America was in a traumatic struggle to piece itself back together in the aftermath of the physical carnage and emotional strife of the Civil War when Ruthless took the Belmont at the grand old venue of Jerome Park in New York’s Westchester County. The contest was named for August Belmont I, a wealthy financier and sportsman who helped fund Jerome Park’s construction and served as its first president.

Belmont was a significant figure in thoroughbred racing during an era when the sport was at a crossroads in America. In the aftermath of the Civil War, racing and breeding was in a difficult stretch when Belmont entered the picture. Throughout a critical time in the sport’s history, Belmont served the game with distinction as an owner, breeder, and influential leader, leaving behind a prominent legacy.

Born in Alzey, Germany, on Dec. 8, 1813, Belmont was sent to America as a representative of the powerful Rothschild banking firm and arrived in New York City during the financial crisis known as the Panic of 1837. Backed by the Rothschilds, Belmont immediately opened an investment firm, August Belmont & Co. The business became a major personal success and stabilized the international financial interests of the German-based Rothschilds.

Belmont’s connections with the Rothschilds and his polished European style gained him acceptance into New York high society. He entered the political arena as consul-general for the old Austrian Empire in 1844, serving in that post until 1849 when his sympathies for Hungary led to his resignation. He then became the U.S. Minister to the Netherlands and eventually the Democratic National Committee’s chairman from 1860 through 1872. Using his considerable financial and political influence, Belmont quietly played an important role in helping the Union during the Civil War, working behind the scenes to keep England and France from providing any aid to the Confederacy.

Following the war, Belmont was introduced to racing by Leonard Jerome, who was conceiving a grand racetrack in New York City. Jerome, who was known as “The King of Wall Street,” convinced Belmont to become one of the first incorporators of the American Jockey Club in February 1866.

The track, which was named Jerome Park, opened that fall and Belmont became its first president. Belmont became enamored with racing and sought more than an executive role. Desiring a closer connection to the turf, he won his first race as an owner, fittingly at Jerome Park, with Maid of Honor in October 1866. Belmont’s silks of maroon and scarlet sash quickly became among the most recognizable in the sport.

In 1867, Belmont began his breeding operation by purchasing several broodmares and around 1,000 acres on Long Island, near Babylon, about 35 miles from New York City. He named it Nursery Stud.

Shortly after, Belmont purchased his first good horse, Glenelg, for $2,000. Glenelg was the best 3-year-old of 1869, winning the Travers and Jerome stakes. That same year, at Jerome Park, Belmont’s colt Fenian won the third running of the Belmont Stakes, named in Belmont’s honor.

Until his Nursery Stud foals began coming to the races, Belmont bought most of his good horses. In July 1870, he purchased Kingfisher, who had already won the Belmont and Travers that year. For his new owner, Kingfisher won the Annual and Champion stakes. That same year, Belmont was one of the six original founders of the Long Branch Racetrack in New Jersey, which was later renamed Monmouth Park.

Belmont was also partners in the successful Annieswood Stable with William Travers and John Hunter. The stable put the great racer Kentucky up for sale in October 1868. Belmont purchased him outright from his partners for $15,000 and stood him at Nursery Stud until the horse’s death in 1875. In 1872, Belmont’s filly Woodbine — sired by Kentucky — won the inaugural edition of the Alabama Stakes, as well as the Hunter Stakes and Monmouth Oaks.

In 1875, Belmont purchased the 3-year-old filly Olitipa and the 2-year-old filly Sultana for $10,000 from Hunter. Olitipa won the Alabama, Hunter, Ladies, and Maryland stakes that year, while Sultana won the Maryland, Ladies, and Hunter stakes in 1876. She also won the Travers that summer, beating some of the best 3-year-old colts. In 1877, for the third straight year, Belmont owned the top 3-year-old filly, Susquehanna, winner of the Alabama and Hunter.

Belmont reduced his role as an owner in the late 1870s but continued as a prominent figure in the sport as president of the American Jockey Club. By 1885, Belmont decided to make it a priority to rejuvenate his racing stable and breeding operation. His first move was purchasing a farm near Lexington, Kentucky, and importing 1888 Epsom Derby winner St. Blaise as a stallion for $100,000. Belmont bought additional broodmares and persuaded his former trainer, Jacob Pincus, to return from England and once again oversee his string of racers.

The stable returned to prominence by 1887 and Belmont was America’s leading owner and breeder in both 1888 and 1889. Belmont, however, died of pneumonia the following year at the age of 77. His estate was valued at $10 million. At the time, he owned America’s best 2-year-old colt, Potomac, and best 2-year-old filly, La Tosca. Both were sold at the auction of Belmont’s racing stock in late December of 1890. Following his death, the New York Times described Belmont as “the most influential man in American racing.”

In 1891, Belmont’s stallions, broodmares, yearlings and weanlings were offered at auction. St. Blaise, America’s top sire in 1890, was purchased for $100,000. The 131 thoroughbreds at the two auctions sold for a total of $639,500, a new record for a dispersal of a racing stable and stud. Belmont’s son, August Belmont II, made several broodmare purchases at the sale to begin assembling stock for the second Nursery Stud, which went on to produce, among other legends, Man o’ War.

Jerome Park played host to the first 23 runnings of the Belmont from 1867 through 1889. When that track closed, Morris Park — built near Jerome Park on land that was later annexed into the Bronx — served as the race’s home from 1890 through 1904.

By the time Belmont Park opened in 1905, the Belmont Stakes had already been contested 38 times at two sites and five distances: 1⅝ miles from 1867 through 1873; 1½ miles from 1874 through 1889; 1¼ miles from 1890 through 1892 and in 1895 and 1904; 1⅛ miles in 1893 and 1894; and 1⅜ miles from 1896 through 1903.

One of the more obscure editions of the Belmont Stakes was the 1890 running won by Burlington, the first year the race was held at Morris Park. A crowd of 15,000 was on hand and the spectators had the unique experience of also witnessing that year’s Preakness, an undercard race won by five-year-old gelding Montague under handicap conditions and without an age restriction. Another oddity of the 1890s was the 1895 edition being postponed and almost scrapped because of new laws that banned bookmaking in New York; it was eventually rescheduled for Nov. 2. Won by Belmar (also that year’s Preakness winner), the 1895 Belmont race chart noted that the “New York Jockey Club closed out its affairs. Race run under the jurisdiction of the Westchester Racing Association.”

One of the most notable renewals of the Belmont was the first one held at Belmont Park in 1905. A chestnut filly named Tanya stole the show and earned her place in Belmont lore by becoming the first filly since Ruthless to win the race. After Tanya, 102 years passed before another filly, champion Rags to Riches, achieved the glory of a Belmont victory.

Since its 1905 opening, Belmont Park has played host to its namesake race annually, with the only exceptions being 1963 through 1967, when a renovation project necessitated a move to Aqueduct. The race was not contested in 1911 and 1912, when the sport was shut down in New York because of anti-gambling legislation.

Thirteen horses — Sir Barton (1919), Galant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018) — have earned immortal status by winning the Triple Crown, but the history of the calendar placement for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont has been jumbled on numerous occasions.

Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, followed by the Preakness, and then the Belmont. Before the current established coordination of the series, the Preakness was run before the Derby 11 times. Twice, in 1917 and 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were held on the same day. On 11 occasions, the Belmont was run before the Preakness.

The date of each event now follows the positioning of the Derby, which is annually slotted for the first Saturday in May. The Preakness takes place two weeks after the Derby, and the Belmont concludes the series three weeks after the Preakness. The only exception to this since 1931 was in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the Belmont leading off the series on June 20, followed by the Derby on Sept. 5, and finally the Preakness on Oct. 3. The 2020 Belmont was also shortened to 1⅛ miles, marking the only time since 1926 the race has not been contested at 1½ miles.

The term “Triple Crown” was not popularized until the 1930s, when Gallant Fox and his son, Omaha, came along. As accomplished as he was, inaugural Triple Crown winner Sir Barton’s legacy was quickly overshadowed when the mighty Man o’ War arrived on the scene. Owned by Samuel D. Riddle, Man o’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby in 1920, but he won the Preakness with ease and dominated the Belmont by 20 lengths. A footnote to Man o’ War’s Belmont victory was that it was the last of 51 editions run in the English tradition of the clockwise direction. In 1921, the route was flipped counterclockwise, which has remained the format ever since.

Count Fleet’s 25-length margin of victory in 1943 stood as the Belmont record until Secretariat’s 31-length romp in 1973. Secretariat also ended a 25-year drought between Triple Crowns and his time of 2:24 set and remains both the Belmont and American record for the distance on dirt 51 years later. CBS announcer Chic Anderson famously described Secretariat as a “tremendous machine” during his jaw-dropping Belmont run. More than 50 years later, the legacy of Secretariat and what he accomplished on June 9, 1973, remains the standard by which all others are measured in racing and, specifically, the Belmont.

The Belmont has also been known for monumental upsets and has thwarted many Triple Crown hopefuls. Twenty-three horses that won both the Derby and Preakness have failed in their attempt to win the Belmont, including Hall of Famers such as Northern Dancer, Spectacular Bid, Silver Charm, Sunday Silence, and Alysheba. A record crowd of 120,139 attended the 2004 Belmont when Smarty Jones was denied the Triple Crown by Marylou Whitney’s Birdstone. It was the third straight year a Triple Crown hopeful was defeated in the Belmont.

The gracious Whitney, understanding the impact of a potential Triple Crown on the sport, apologized to the owners of Smarty Jones for her horse winning the race. When California Chrome faded in the stretch of the 2014 Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line, many wondered if the sport would ever see another horse accomplish the feat. Then came American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify three years later.

There will be no Triple Crown on the line at Saratoga this year, as Mystik Dan (Kentucky Derby) and Seize the Grey (Preakness) split the first two legs of the series, but an incredible new chapter in the storied history of the Belmont will be written, nonetheless. History awaits.

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Belmont Stakes facts

Saratoga Race Course will be the fifth track to play host to the Belmont Stakes. The
event has previously been held at Jerome Park, Morris Park, Belmont Park, and
Aqueduct Race Track.

-The race has been contested at five different distances: 1⅛ miles, 1¼ miles, 1⅜ miles, 1½ miles, 1⅝ miles.

-Largest margins of victory: 31 lengths (Secretariat, 1973), 25 lengths (Count Fleet, 1943), 20 lengths (Man o’ War, 1920).

-Most wins by an owner: 6 (Belair Stud: 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955), 6 (James R. Keene: 1879, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910).

-Most wins by a jockey: 6 (James McLaughlin, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888), 6 (Eddie Arcaro, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1952, 1955).

-Most wins by a trainer: 8 (James Rowe, Sr., 1883, 1884, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913).

-Women who have won the Belmont: Julie Krone (jockey, 1993), Jena Antonucci (trainer, 2023).

-Fillies who won the Belmont: Ruthless (1867), Tanya (1905), Rags to Riches (2007).

-Foreign-bred horses who won the Belmont: Saxon (1874, bred in England), Bowling Brook (1898, bred in England), Hourless (1917, bred in England), Johren (1918, bred in England), Gallant Man (1957, bred in Ireland), Cavan (1958, bred in Ireland), Celtic Ash (1960, bred in England), Go and Go (1990, bred in Ireland), Victory Gallop (1998, bred in Canada).