| BELMONT FACTS |
| OLDEST TRIPLE CROWN EVENT |
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The Belmont is the oldest of the Triple Crown events, predating the Preakness by six years and the Kentucky Derby by eight. The winner of the first Kentucky Derby, Aristides, ran second in the Belmont of 1875, behind Calvin. |
| FIRST RUNNING |
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The first running of the Belmont Stakes in 1867 at Jerome Park took place, oddly enough, on a Thursday. At a mile and
five furlongs, the conditions included "$200 each; half forfeit, and $1,500 added. The second to receive $300, and an
English racing saddle, made by Merry, of St. James' Street, London, to be presented by Mr. Duncan. |
| FOURTH OLDEST IN NORTH AMERICA |
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The Belmont Stakes, in addition to being the oldest of the Triple Crown events (the Preakness was first run in 1873, the
Kentucky Derby in 1875) is the fourth oldest stakes race 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 had its inaugural in 1860
and the Travers in Saratoga in 1864. However, since there were gaps in the sequence for the Travers, the Belmont is
third only to the Phoenix and Queen's Plate in total runnings. |
| MOVED TO MORRIS PARK |
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In 1890, the Belmont, named for August Belmont I, 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 Stakes was
run at Morris Park from then until Belmont Park's opening in 1905. |
| FIRST RUN COUNTER-CLOCKWISE IN 1921 |
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Grey Lag's Belmont (1921) was the first running of this prestigious event in the counter-clockwise manner of American
fashion at Belmont Park. This 53rd running was a mile and three-eighths over the main course. Previous renewals of the
stakes at Belmont Park were run clockwise, in accordance with English custom, over a fish-hook course which included
part of the training track and the main dirt oval.
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| FIRST POST PARADE |
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The first post parade in this country came in the 14th running of the Belmont back in 1880. Until that time, the horses
went directly from paddock to post.
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| LOWEST/HIGHEST PURSES |
The purse for the first running of the Belmont was $1,500 added with a total purse of $2,500 with the winner's share that
year taken by Francis Morris' filly Ruthless.
The lowest winner's share in the history of the Belmont Stakes was the $1,825 earned by The Finn in the 1915 running.
The 1992 edition of the Belmont was the richest running with a total purse of $1,764,800.
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Belmont
Video of Triple Crown Winners
