The 2019 Triple Crown is about to end, with one more race remaining: the Belmont Stakes. It’s the last chance for high-end horses to win a leg in the Triple Crown this year and cash in on it. The total purse and breakdown of prizes for this year’s Belmont Stakes are the same as the ones used in 2018. It’s been that way since 2014, and while the total prize hasn’t moved in five years, it’s only a matter of time before it does, especially with the ever-growing popularity of the event and of the Triple Crown as a whole. When the Belmont Stakes was first staged in 1867, the total purse was only $1,500, which was big money back in those days, but is only $25,900 in today’s money when inflation is accounted for.
Having said all of that, here’s how the breakdown of prizes and total payout will be in the upcoming Belmont Stakes.
Updated Prize Money Breakdown for the 151st Anniversary of the Belmont Stakes on June 8 2019 at the Belmont Park
Where: Belmont Park in Elmont, New York
When: Saturday, June 8, 2019, 11:30 AM ET
Watch: NBC Sports
Place
Prize Money
1st
$900,000
2nd
$300,000
3rd
$165,000
4th
$90,000
5th
$45,000
Total
$1500,000
You could say that the Belmont Stakes is the least attractive of the three Triple Crown legs, but that’s also like saying that The Return of the King is the worst part of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (anyone?). In any case, the Belmont Stakes is a lucrative event, with a total payout that’s not shabby at all. Last year, it was Triple Crown winner Justify who took home the sweetest (and largest) payout during the Belmont Stakes, though, that was as certain and as dead of a giveaway than what’s expected to happen this year, where no horse has completely dominated the first two legs. Only the top five finishers will get payouts at the 2019 Belmont Stakes, with the first placer taking home $900,000. The fifth placer will still get $45,000. Not bad at all.
