Aside from being up to speed with the latest Belmont Stakes odds, you need to know some fun facts about this challenging and intense horse racing event. The Belmont Stakes also referred to as the ‘Test of the Champion,’ has always been the toughest test in the Triple Crown.
This article will reveal some interesting facts about the Belmont Stakes you may not already be familiar with.
Table of Contents
Interesting facts about Belmont stakes
What ‘Belmont’ means
The inaugural horse racing event and the racetrack were eventually named after a distinguished New York financier and horseman named August Belmont. He was also the pioneering chairman of the popular The Jockey Club. He was famous for occasionally sporting an immaculate set of mutton chops.
Horses usually ran backward until 1921
This is perhaps the strangest fun fact on this list and a safety hazard. Horses used to run back around the track during the Test of the Champion events.
With each horse racing event, new ideas began to emerge. The involvement of spectators and the use of technology saw the rapid development of horse racing events at the beginning of the 20th century.
Belmont Park is the largest dirt track in North America
Belmont Park, the venue of the Belmont Stakes, measures up to one and a half miles around. This makes the expansive horse racing track the largest in North America.
It is so massive that the Pimlico Race Course and the Churchill Downs one-mile ovals look like varsity tracks in comparison. This is something many horse racing bettors are unaware of.
However, the massiveness of this horse racing track is why many horse race enthusiasts consider the Belmont Stakes a very grueling event for riders.
Smarty Jones drew record-breaking numbers in 2004
Smarty Jones was the favorite trying to win the Triple Crown back in 2004. Belmont Park hosted a record-breaking 120,139 spectators at that particular event. This set the unbeaten record for the largest crowd at the Test of the Champions.
Today, the Run for the Carnations event can be watched from anywhere globally, thanks to the internet and the integration of cutting-edge technology.
Final words
The Belmont Stakes is a unique horse racing event heavily celebrated in the thoroughbred racing calendar. This is because of the enormous stakes involved with the potential of seeing another Triple Crown winner when the races end.