Belmont
Park is a 430-acre racetrack in Elmont, N.Y.
The 2012 Belmont Stakes takes place on June 11th and will be the
143rd running of this Grade 1 horse race. The prize purse is
$1 million. The third jewel of the Triple Crown is the Belmont
Stakes, held five weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Belmont
Park in Elmont, New York.
Belmont Stakes “triple crown”
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The Belmont Stakes was first run on June 19, 1867,
at the Jerome Park race course, an oddly shaped, English-style
track that required the Jockeys and horses to run three turns instead of two because of a
dip in the middle of the backstretch. A filly named
“Ruthless” won the first Belmont's $1,850 winners
purse, outlasting DeCourcey by a head. The race has
been run every since, with the exception of 1911 and
'12, and the Belmont has established itself as the
ultimate test of championship stamina in this country. |
Belmont, New York
June 9, 2012
Bet on the 144th Belmont Stakes and get triple Crown odds "Here"
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Its 1-1/2-mile distance now
has become a rarity in American dirt races. The Belmont was
even longer in its early days at 1-5/8 miles through 1873.
But from 1890 through 1926, the race dropped down to
distances varying between 1-1/8 and 1-3/8 miles. The 1926
Belmont was run at 1-1/2 miles and was won by Crusader, a
son of the legendary Man o' War, in a time of 2:32-1/5. The
race has been run at that distance ever since.
2012 Belmont Stakes Contenders
| Horse |
Trainer |
Dosage |
Jockey |
| Animal
Kingdom | Graham Motion | 1.67 | John Velazquez |
| Awesome Patriot | Bob Baffert | 2.50 | Rafael Bejarano |
| Brilliant
Speed | Tom Albertrani | 1.72 | Joel Rosario |
| Harlan's Hello | Doodnauth Shivmangal | 4.00 | Rajiv Maragh |
| Isn't He
Perfect | Doodnauth Shivmanga | 2.06 | Edgar Prado |
| Master of
Hounds | Aiden O'Brien | 1.07 | Garrett Gomez |
| Monzon | Ignacio Correas | 3.40 | Jose Lezcano |
| Mucho Macho
Man | Katherine Ritvo | 2.43 | Rajiv Maragh |
| Nehro | Steve Asmussen | 4.33 | Corey Nakatani |
| Prime Cut | Neil Howard | 1.44 | Edgar Prado |
| Ruler on Ice | Kelly Breen | 2.56 | Jose Valdivia Jr. |
| Santiva | Eddie Kenneally | 1.67 | Shaun
Bridgmohan |
| Shackleford | Dale Romans | 3.62 | Jesus Castanon |
| Stay
Thirsty | Todd Pletcher | 2.25 | Ramon Dominguez |
Belmont Trophy
The Belmont Stakes trophy is a Tiffany-made silver bowl, with
cover, 18 inches high, 15 inches across and 14 inches at the
base. Atop the cover is a silver figure of Fenian, winner of
the third running of the Belmont Stakes in 1869. The bowl is
supported by three horses representing the three foundation
thoroughbreds Eclipse, Herod and Matchem. The trophy, a solid
silver bowl originally crafted by Tiffany's, was presented by
the Belmont family as a perpetual award for the Belmont Stakes
in 1926. It was the trophy August Belmont's Fenian won in 1869
and had remained with the Belmont family since that time. The
winning owner is given the option of keeping the trophy for
the year their horse reigns as Belmont champion.
The Belmont Stakes is called the "Run for the Carnations"
because of the blanket of white carnations that are draped
over the winner's neck. This year's race was held on Saturday
June 9th, 2007 and won by Rags to Riches, the first filly to
win the race since 1905 (and the third filly ever). Because of
its length (one lap around the enormous Belmont main track),
and because it is the final race of the Triple Crown, it is
called the "Test of the Champion". Most three-year-olds are
unaccustomed to the distance, and lack the experience, if not
the ability, to maintain a winning speed for so long. In a
long race such as the Belmont, positioning of the horse and
the timing of the move to chase for the lead can be critical.
Because of its distance and status as the race that can make
or break a Triple Crown champion, the Belmont Stakes has been
the venue for some of the most famous moments in American
racing.
142nd
Belmont Stakes 2010 Winner
The winner of the 2010 Belmont Stakes is Drosselmeyer
| WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer gave Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first win in a Triple Crown race, wearing down pacesetter First Dude and holding off a late charge from Fly Down for a 13-1 upset in the $1 million Belmont Stakes under Mike Smith June 5, 2010 at Belmont Park.
Smith was riding Drosselmeyer for the first time after taking over for jockey Kent Desormeaux, who had ridden the colt in seven of his previous eight races.
More Belmont Stakes Winners
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