What Is the Belmont Stakes?

The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes happens Saturday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course – it’s one last visit upstate before the race returns to its renewed Belmont Park home for 2027. The race is the final jewel of the Triple Crown, and it draws the best three-year-old horses, including Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo.

If you’re new to horse racing, you’ve found the right place to get up to speed on why people are so excited about this race. Read on to learn about the race, its place in history, and what has happened in the Triple Crown series so far.

Get ready to bet on the Belmont Stakes winner with FanDuel Racing. Explore the exciting 2026 Belmont promos available on FDR. Stay updated on the Belmont Stakes odds as we approach The Test of the Champion!

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Belmont Stakes Facts

The Belmont Stakes is one of the longest-running races on the North American racing calendar, and remains one of the most important. Even though it was sometimes run before (or even on the same day as!) the Preakness in its early days, it has become the traditional third and final of the Triple Crown races. It is run five weeks after the Kentucky Derby, and three weeks after the Preakness.

Belmont Stakes History

The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three Triple Crown races: first run in 1867, it came six years before the first Preakness and eight years before the first Kentucky Derby. In fact, the race predates Belmont Park as well – it was named after August Belmont, Sr., the father of Belmont Park co-founder August Belmont, Jr. The race was run at Jerome Park from 1867 through 1889, and then at Morris Park from 1890 through 1904. The Belmont Stakes has been based at Belmont Park since 1905, except for a brief run at Aqueduct from 1963 through 1967 due to another renovation project at Belmont.

The Belmont Stakes has been run at a wide range of distances, as well. It has gone as short as 1 ⅛ miles and as long as 1 ⅝ miles. However, 1 ½ miles on the dirt has become the traditional distance for the race: it covered 1 ½ miles every year between 1926 and 2023, except for 2020, when it was shortened to 1 ⅛ miles due to changes to the COVID pandemic year’s racing calendar.

Race Location

In modern times, the Belmont Stakes is traditionally run at 1 ½ miles on the dirt at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. However, the New York Racing Association is tearing down and rebuilding the grandstand at Belmont Park, and racing cannot happen at the track due to ongoing construction. So, the final jewel of the Triple Crown was run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 2024 and 2025, and will be run there one more time in 2026. It returns home to Belmont Park in 2027.

Because the starting gate would have to be on a turn if they tried to run a 1 ½-mile dirt race at Saratoga, the distance of the Belmont Stakes is run at 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga. The distance is shorter than usual, but it’s still a significant test of stamina. And, it is not the only time the Belmont Stakes has been run at a different distance. In a history that stretches all the way back to the first Belmont Stakes in 1867, the race has been run at distances ranging from 1 ⅛ miles to 1 ⅝ miles. The race will return to its 1 ½-mile distance when it returns to the new Belmont Park for the 2027 running.

Of course, this brief run at Saratoga Race Course is not the first time the Belmont Stakes has been run outside of Belmont Park. The race predates Belmont Park – it was named after August Belmont, Sr., the father of Belmont Park co-founder August Belmont, Jr. The race was run at Jerome Park from 1867 through 1889, and then at Morris Park from 1890 through 1904. The Belmont Stakes has been based at Belmont Park since 1905, except for a brief run at Aqueduct from 1963 through 1967 due to another Belmont Park renovation project.

The Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown

The Belmont Stakes is the traditional third and final in the series of Triple Crown races. Given the fact that it is usually run at 1 ½ miles, the longest distance of the three races in the series, it is called the “Test of the Champion.”

The taxing five-week Triple Crown schedule and the demanding distance of the Belmont Stakes have taken their toll on many Triple Crown aspirants. A total of 13 horses have won the Triple Crown, but 20 more have swept the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness only to fall short, by either not winning the Belmont Stakes or, in a few cases, not even starting it.

Triple Crown Winners

Even though the order of what we now know as the Triple Crown wasn’t set in stone through the early days, all 13 horses who have won the Triple Crown to date have run their final leg in the Belmont Stakes. Sir Barton became a Triple Crown winner at Belmont in 1919, and the tradition has continued all the way through Justify’s run in 2018.

The most impressive Belmont Stakes winner in history is one of these Triple Crown winners. When Secretariat became Triple Crown champion in 1973, he won the Test of the Champion by 31 lengths over Twice a Prince. His 1 ½-mile time of 2:24.0 is still the record for the race, and Belmont Park honors his achievement by putting a blue and white pole – matching the colors of the silks of his owner, Penny Chenery’s Meadow Stable – 31 lengths from the finish line.

Other Belmont Stakes Winners

Many important horses have won the Belmont Stakes but did not win the Triple Crown. Atop that list is the great Man O’ War, who did not contest the 1920 Kentucky Derby because he was deemed not yet ready, but went on to sweep the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes when he was.

Women have also made their mark in the Belmont in a way they have not yet in the other legs of the Triple Crown. Julie Krone became the first woman to ride the winner of a Triple Crown race when she guided Colonial Affair to victory in the 1993 edition of the Belmont Stakes. Then, 30 years later, Jena Antonucci became the first woman to train an American Classic winner when she conditioned Arcangelo to a Belmont victory. Cherie DeVaux will try to become the second woman to train a Belmont winner in 2026 when she brings Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo to Saratoga.

Belmont Stakes Symbols

Just as is the case with many major horse races, there are traditions and symbols that are associated with the Belmont.

White Carnations

The official flower of the Belmont is the carnation. Just as the Kentucky Derby winner gets a blanket of roses and the Preakness winner a blanket of black-eyed Susans, the winning horse in the Belmont Stakes is presented with a blanket of white carnations.

Belmont Jewel

The matter of the official drink of the Belmont Stakes is a little less straightforward than the flower, however. The Derby has the mint julep, and the Preakness has a black-eyed Susan – though even then, there have been a few different cocktails called the black-eyed Susan over the years!

The history of the official drink of the Belmont is even more muddled. The current official drink of the Belmont Stakes is the aptly-named Belmont Jewel, a simple yet delicious concoction of bourbon, lemonade, and pomegranate juice served with a lemon twist.

However, the Belmont Jewel has only been the official drink of the race since 2011. Before that, it was the more complicated Belmont Breeze. The Belmont Breeze is also a bourbon-based drink, though it is mixed with sherry, lemon juice, simple syrup, orange juice, cranberry juice, mint leaves, and garnishes of mint and orange.

Before 1997, the final Triple Crown race had yet another official drink: the white carnation. Unlike the more recent official drinks of the Belmont Stakes, the white carnation is a vodka-based drink that also contains peach schnapps, orange juice, soda water, a splash of cream, and a slice of orange.

New York, New York

Just like the official drink of the Belmont Stakes, the official song has also gone through some iterations over history, as opposed to the “My Old Kentucky Home” at the Derby or “Maryland, My Maryland” at the Preakness.

The current theme song for the Belmont is “New York, New York,” though Frank Sinatra’s version makes it sound smoothly old school; his recording was from 1979, and the original Liza Minelli version was only two years older than that. Still, it didn’t first become the official Belmont Stakes theme song until 1997. Before that, the theme was “Sidewalks of New York.”

Even so, it hasn’t been that simple. In 2010, attempting to appeal to a younger group of fans, Belmont Park used “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z as the Belmont theme. However, the track switched back to “New York, New York” the next year.

2026 Triple Crown Races

The Belmont Stakes is the last of three races in the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred horse racing. It happens five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and two weeks after the Preakness Stakes.

Kentucky Derby

The first race of the Triple Crown is the Kentucky Derby, traditionally held on the first Saturday in May – May 2, in 2026. The race covers 1 ¼ miles on the Churchill Downs dirt, and the purse is a dizzying $5 million. The race features up to 20 horses who earn their way in by collecting points through a six-month series of Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races. After scratches, 18 horses ran in 2026.

The early pace was swift in the 2026 Kentucky Derby, setting up for 23-1 long shot Golden Tempo to rally from last and prevail by a neck over Renegade. That victory made Cherie DeVaux a Kentucky Derby winner with her first starter in the Run for the Roses, as well as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Third across the finish line was the maiden Ocelli, the longest shot in the field.

Preakness Stakes

The second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, was run at Laurel Park in 2026 because Pimlico Race Course was in the process of being rebuilt. Despite the change of scenery, the distance was the same as the traditional Preakness Stakes trip: 1 3/16 miles on the dirt.

Without the Kentucky Derby winner there, many connections decided to take their shot in Maryland, and the maximum field of 14 lined up in the starting gate – the biggest Preakness field since 2011. When all was said and done, it was the lone Grade 1 winner in the field who won again at the top level – Napoleon Solo for trainer Chad Summers. Forwardly placed throughout, he crossed the wire 1 ¼ lengths clear of Iron Honor. It was another 3 ¼ lengths back to Chip Honcho, who chased home for third. The top-placed Kentucky Derby runner in the Preakness was Ocelli, who ran on for fourth, another 2 ¾ lengths back.

What is the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

The 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival runs from Wednesday, June 3, until Sunday, June 7, at Saratoga Race Course. The festival will feature 25 stakes races for horses of all ages at a full range of distances on turf and dirt, offering a total of over $11 million in purse money.

It is one of the more recent Belmont Stakes traditions: even though there have long been some important races run on the same card as the Belmont Stakes, it was only in 2014 when Belmont Park launched the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival as we know it today.

Some people refer to it as a miniature Breeders’ Cup in the middle of the year, and that description is no exaggeration. Some of the best horses in the world target the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and horses who run well there make an impact through the summer, and through to the championship races at the end of the year.

Frequently Asked Questions: 2026 Belmont Stakes

Who is the morning line favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes?

Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., is the 2-1 morning line favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes. Renegade draws from post position 4 in the 9-horse field. Chief Wallabee, also trained by a top conditioner and ridden by Junior Alvarado out of post 3, is the second choice at 3-1, followed by Golden Tempo at 9-2. You can bet on the Belmont Stakes morning line favorite and the full field at FanDuel Racing.

When and where is the 2026 Belmont Stakes and what time is post time?

The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes takes place on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Post time for The Test of the Champion is 7:04 p.m. ET. This is the third and final year the race will be held at Saratoga while Belmont Park undergoes a full reconstruction project. The race is contested at 1¼ miles due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track, shorter than the traditional 1½-mile distance at Belmont Park. The Belmont Stakes will return to a newly reimagined Belmont Park beginning in 2027. New FanDuel Racing users can place their first bet of $10 and get $50 back in Racing Bonus ahead of race day.

How can I bet on the 2026 Belmont Stakes and are there any promotions available?

You can bet on the 2026 Belmont Stakes winner and all associated wagering markets at FanDuel Racing. Belmont Stakes odds are available across win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta markets. New FanDuel Racing users can take advantage of a promotional offer where you place your first bet of $10 on any race at any track and receive $50 back in Racing Bonus. Additional 2026 Belmont Stakes promos are available on FanDuel Racing. The full morning line odds for all 9 horses, including the 2-1 favorite Renegade and longshots Vitruvian Man at 30-1 and Ottinho at 20-1 — are listed above. Stay updated on live Belmont Stakes odds (fanduel.com/belmont-stakes-odds) as they shift ahead of the Saturday, June 6 post time.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.