When it comes to horse racing, there aren’t many events bigger than the Belmont Stakes. It’s one of the three major races that make up the renowned Triple Crown, and as the last race, it’s often where much of the drama unfolds.
Considered to be a test of a horse’s true strength, the Belmont Stakes has denied many horses a chance at finishing their Triple Crown bid and achieving immortality. Held in the summer, the race features horses that have qualified through a point system.
When it comes to gambling on the Belmont Stakes, you have options for making both in-person and online wagers. This guide will cover betting on the Belmont Stakes. From your options on where and how to bet to a brief history of the race, keep reading.
How to bet on the Belmont Stakes in NY
There are three main ways to wager on the Belmont Stakes, available for novices and experts alike.
Betting apps
Apps are a common way to gamble on the Belmont Stakes and other horse races. TVG is the best company for mobile horse race betting in the US. The app format offers unparalleled speed and convenience, as making a bet is as easy as pressing a few buttons on a screen.
The app offers a chance to watch the race, place a wager and find out everything you need to know in one place. This all-in-one location is great for those who are looking for a simple way to access everything they need and bet on Belmont Stakes online.
Betting at the teller
For many of those at the race track, betting at the teller is the preferred option. You’ll need a few different pieces of information before you place your bet. You’re going to want to specify the race number, the dollar amount that you want to wager, the type of bet you’re looking to make and your horse’s number.
Once you have all these pieces of information, all you need to do is make your bet at the window. The teller is easy for those who have access and is a classic way to place a bet.
Off-track betting
Last but not least, off-track betting offers a chance to place wagers at licensed locations that are not race tracks. This is similar to betting at the teller but just a different level of access as not everyone is in a location that has a teller.
You’re going to need the same information as you would for a teller when you go to bet at an off-track location. Some of the downsides of betting at a physical location are that the experience can be slow and clunky, but off-track locations can often be less busy than tellers and help mitigate some of that downside.
Betting options for Belmont Stakes
For the Belmont Stakes, you’ll be able to place all the same bets that are typically available in horse betting. These include everything from straight bets that are easy to understand to more complex exotic bets that can offer huge potential payouts.
Straight bets
Straight bets are the simplest type of bet to understand. A win bet is betting on a specific horse to win the race. If the horse finishes in any other position, your bet loses. A place bet is similar except your bet wins if your horse finishes first or second. Finally, a show bet wins if your horse finishes anywhere in the top three positions.
Exotic bets
Exotic bets can also further be broken down into more subcategories. The first is horizontal exotic bets such as pick three, pick four, etc. Think of these as similar to parlay bets. You must pick the winner of multiple races, all combined into one bet. The odds for a wager like this can be massive, but they are also very difficult to win. Vertical exotic bets like exactas and trifectas, are wagers on the same race where you pick the finishing order of the horses. Think of them as similar to same-game parlays.
While exotic bets do offer some high potential returns, this is true for a reason. It can be very difficult to win a bet with multiple selections, especially because if even one of the picks is wrong, you lose the entire bet. While these bets can be fun and exciting, you shouldn’t count on them as consistent money makers.
Belmont Stakes odds
The ability to examine the odds and find a good value pick is an important skill for betting on any horse race – especially when it comes to a big race like the Belmont Stakes. There are always going to be some stronger horses that have shorter odds and underdogs with longer odds. Finding good value to make a shrewd selection is the name of the game. Here were the betting odds for the 2020 Belmont:
- Tiz the Law (6-5)
- Sole Volante (9-2)
- Post (5-1)
- Tap It to Win (6-1)
- Pneumatic (8-1)
- Max Player (15-1)
- Modernist (15-1)
- Farmington Road (15-1)
- Fore Left (30-1)
- Jungle Runner (50-1)
Most iconic Belmont Stakes winners of all-time
The Belmont Stakes has a long and rich history of amazing races, stretching more than 150 years. Some of the most iconic performances include the ones listed below:
Secretariat in 1973
One of the most famous races of all time, Secretariat won in dominating fashion and set the record for the fastest 1.5 miles run on dirt with a time of 2:24. This won him the much-sought-after Triple Crown.
American Pharoah in 2015
American Pharoah broke a 37-year Triple Crown drought with a magnificent performance at the 2015 edition of the Belmont. In front of a crowd of 90,000, American Pharoah led the race from start to finish.
Justify in 2018
Yet another Triple Crown winner, Justify won the 2018 edition of the Belmont Stakes with hall-of-fame jockey Mike Smith leading the way. This is the most recent Triple Crown victory, and Justify managed to do it while remaining undefeated.
How horses qualify for the Belmont Stakes
To make the Belmont Stakes, a horse will need to first qualify for and run in the Kentucky Derby. This happens through a series of qualification races. A horse will get points that will help it qualify for the Kentucky Derby if it finishes in the top four of a qualification race.
Either gender of horse can compete in the Triple Crown, but the horse must be 3 years old. A filly (young female horse) has won individual races in the past, but never the full Triple Crown. Only three fillies have won the Belmont Stakes, with the most recent one being Rags to Riches in 2007. That marked the first victory by a filly since 1905 when Tanya won the race.
A quick history of the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is the final of the three major races that comprise the Triple Crown. It’s also known as “The Test of the Champion” or “The Run of the Carnations.” It’s one of the most well-attended and most-watched races in the world and has drawn crowds of over 100,000.
The track is known for its large, wide turns and long homestretch that has made for some exciting finishes over the years. The first Belmont Stakes was held in 1867 in the Bronx. Since then, the race has moved locations, though it has stayed in the state of New York. Starting in 1926, the winner was awarded the August Belmont Trophy, keeping it for one year.
The official flower of the race is the white carnation, and the winning horse is draped in a blanket of them upon crossing the finish line. The flowers are imported from Colombia, and it takes around 700 to build the blanket that the winner receives. The blanket ends up weighing around 40 pounds. This is one of the signature moments of the entire race.
While the race has crowned some of the most famous horses in history as Triple Crown winners, it has thwarted many more attempts. Some of Belmont Stakes history’s most memorable races have been Triple Crown bids that have fallen short.
In 2020, the Belmont Stakes had to adjust because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The race was held without fans and it was also the first of the Triple Crown races to be run, marking the first time in history for that to happen.
Belmont Stakes FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions about the Belmont Stakes and their answers:
When is the Belmont Stakes usually run?
The Belmont Stakes is usually run on the first or second Saturday in June. It is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown and is three weeks after the second leg. The race is held on Long Island, New York, at Belmont Park. The park opened in 1905 and has been used as the location for the vast majority of Belmont Stakes since then.
How many horses run in the race?
The limit for horses in the Belmont Stakes is 12. However, the field rarely fills all those spots and many years the number ends up at 10 or 11 instead.
How much money does the winner of the Belmont Stakes get?
In 2020, the purse for the Belmont Stakes was right around $1 million. However, the purse was larger in 2019 at around $1.5 million. The lower purse was due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The winner of the race gets just over 50% of the total purse.
What was the fastest horse to win the Belmont Stakes?
The Belmont Stakes has been run at a few different distances, thus there are a few different speed records. For the most popular 1.5-mile distance, the speed record is 2 minutes and 24 seconds by Secretariat in 1973.