| Grade I race | |
  "The Test of the Champion" "The Test of Champions" "The Run for the Carnations" "The Third Jewel of the Triple Crown" | |
| Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | June 19, 1867 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄2 miles (12 furlongs) |
| Record | 2:24, Secretariat (1973) more |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | 3-year-old |
| Weight | Colt/Gelding: 126 pounds (57 kg); Filly: 121 pounds (55 kg) |
| Purse | US$ 2 million (2024) |
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of 1+1⁄2 miles (12 furlongs; 2,414 metres). Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The race, nicknamed The Test of the Champion,[1] The Test of Champions[2] and The Run for the Carnations, is the traditional third and final leg of the Triple Crown. It is usually held on the first or second Saturday in June, five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks after the Preakness Stakes. The 1973 Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown winner Secretariat holds the track record (which is also a world record on dirt) of 2:24.
The race covers one full lap of Belmont Park, known as "The Championship Track" because nearly every major American champion in racing history has competed on the racetrack. Belmont Park, with its large, wide, sweeping turns and long homestretch, is considered one of the fairest racetracks in America.[3] Despite the distance, the race tends to favor horses with tactical speed: relatively few winners close from far behind the early leaders.[4]
The attendance at the Belmont Stakes is among the American thoroughbred racing top-attended events. The 2004 Belmont Stakes drew a television audience of 21.9 million viewers, and had the highest household viewing rate since 1977 when Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown.[5]
Justify won the 150th Belmont Stakes in 2018 to become the 13th Triple Crown champion.
- ^ "The Test of the Champion | National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame". www.racingmuseum.org. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ CNN, Ben Church (June 8, 2024). "Belmont Stakes: How to watch as two champions go head-to-head at this year's race". KWWL. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Edward L. Bowen and Richard Stone Reeves (2005). Belmont Park: A Century of Champions. Eclipse Press Blood-Horse publications. ISBN 978-1-58150-122-3. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ Greenberg, Neil. "Analysis | This 15-1 long shot is poised to win the Belmont Stakes". Washington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Viewership of 2008 Belmont Stakes". Archived from the original on October 21, 2012.