The Belmont Stakes is the third race of the United States thoroughbred Triple Crown horse racing series. It could be a major event or the completely forgotten about ugly cousin of the circuit. To those in the know, the Belmont is a substantial weekend. To those that don’t consider themselves diehards of the equine head-to-head, it’s not really a big deal unless a horse has a Triple Crown bid going.
It’s a completely fair concern for those that don’t follow the circuit, although, the Belmont Stakes still offers quite the substantial purse. Valued at $1.5 million dollars, the prize money is almost as large as it’s local fame. Belmont Park in Elmont, NY fills up year after year with it’s largest crowd ever taking to the stands back in 2002 of 103,222.
That year War Emblem, ridden by Victor Espinoza, was in the running to become the 12th ever Triple Crown champion. He’d taken the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness already and was in the hunt for the big TC. It was not to be though as Sarava, ridden by Edgar Prado, took the win. None the less, it just goes to show that when the heat is on, the Belmont can be a highly touted major event.
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How Does Belmont Stakes Betting Work? – Infographic
Belmont Stakes Need to Know
First race in 1867 at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY
The Belmont is the third and final race of the Triple Crown series (Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, Belmont Stakes)
15 horses took to the track in 1983 – the largest ever field
The purse for the 2016 race was $1.5 million dollars
The track is 1.5 miles in length
That is equal to 12 furlongs
Belmont Stakes nicknames:
Third Jewel of the Triple Crown
The Test of the Champion
The Run for the Carnations
Track Record – 2:24 (Secretariat – 1973)
Track Type – Dirt
Track Style – Left-handed
Betting at the track
Three Basic Principles to Horse Betting
WIN – You pick the winner
PLACE – Your horse finishes First or Second
SHOW – Your horse finishes First, Second or Third
Obviously, your winnings will reflect the amount of difficulty you choose. If you pick your horse to win, you’ll have tougher odds, but a higher payout than a horse that’s chosen to show.
Types of Side Bets
Daily Double
The Daily Double consists of picking the winner of consecutive races. This is a very difficult thing to do, clearly. So while the odds are against you, the payout can be very appealing!
Exacta
You pick the first two horses to cross the finish line in EXACT order. It’s not an easy thing to do by any means, but it can be and has been done on many occassions. It takes courage though, so dig down deep!
Exacta Box
You pick the first two horses to cross the finish line in EITHER order. This one is a little easier and the odds will reflect that. Again though, a good pay day could be in the cards for your afternoon at the track.
Trifecta
You pick the first three horses to cross the finish line in EXACT order. Put on your man pants (or lady pants) and buck up. It’s not as hard as you may think.
…alright that’s not completely true. It probably is just as hard as you might think.
Trifecta Box
You pick the first three horses to cross the finish line in EITHER order. You’ve got this! We believe in you!
Betting Online
You have a few options: Individual Bet and Triple Crown Futures. Did you take a look at the links? Excellent. Now let us explain how the betting itself works.
If your horse is showing NEGATIVE ODDS (for example -200), that shows you how much you’ll need to wager to win $100.
If your horse is showing POSITIVE ODDS (for example +200), that’ll show you much you will win in return for wagering $100.
Triple Crown Futures Betting
The horse that won the Kentucky Derby was/is the only horse in contention for the TC title. If that horse won the Preakness as well, it would still be/is in contention for the biggest prize in horse racing. However, if that horse lost at the Preakness, they are out of contention and the Triple Crown would not be awarded that year.
