Belmont Stakes Tickets

Every year in June, Belmont Park hosts the Belmont Stakes, a Grade I Thoroughbred horse race nicknamed "The Test of the Champion". The race is open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds and is run over a distance of 2.4 kilometers. Colts and geldings must carry a weight of 126 pounds, while fillies must carry 121 pounds. The Belmont Stakes is the third leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, which is five weeks apart from the first leg, the Kentucky Derby, and three weeks apart from the second leg, the Preakness Stakes. If a Thoroughbred horse wins all three races, it is considered one of the greatest accomplishments for the horse. 

Make sure you get your Belmont Stakes tickets in time so that you don’t miss out on the exciting race. The winner of the Belmont Race gets to take home one of the country’s most prestigious trophies, the August Belmont Trophy.

Jerome Park Racetrack hosted the first Belmont Stakes in The Bronx. It was built by Leonard Jerome in 1866 and financed by August Belmont, Sr., whose name was adopted for the race. Jerome Park hosted the race until 1980, when it was moved to Morris Park Racecourse, where it remained until 1905. Belmont Park was inaugurated that same year, with a racetrack on 430 acres, and the race shifted there as well. Belmont Park was renovated from 1963 to 1967, during which time the race was scheduled at the Aqueduct Racetrack. These races tend to attract a lot of media attention. In 2004, they recorded a TV audience of over 21 million viewers, the highest household viewership rate since 1977..

As the Belmont Stakes is the final race, the length of the track makes it tough, hence why it is called "The Test of the Champion". The majority of three-year-olds are not used to maintaining speed for the entire distance and lack the required experience. In a long race such as this one, where the horses are required to cover one lap around the Belmont main track, positioning and timing of the horse can be pivotal. Belmont Stakes established a world record in 1973 with Secretariat's 31-length triumph for a mile and a half on dirt. By winning the race in Belmont, Secretariat became the ninth horse to win the Triple Crown.

Over the years, twenty-nine horses have qualified to participate in the Triple Crown and eleven of them have succeeded in winning the championship. The horses who won the first two legs of the competition from 1997 to 2004 include Silver Charm, Charismatic, War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, and Real Quiet. Find out how the race turns out this year by getting Belmont Stakes tickets.