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Belmont Park is a 430-acre racetrack in Elmont, N.Y. The 2008 Belmont Stakes takes place on June 7 and will be the 140th running of this Grade 1 horse race. The prize purse is $1 million. The third jewel of the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes, held five weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
2008 Belmont Stakes “ triple crown”
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Belmont, New York
June 7, 2008
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Bet on the 140th Belmont Stakes and get triple Crown odds "Here"
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The Belmont Stakes was first run on June 19, 1867, at the Jerome Park race course, an oddly shaped, English-style track that required the Jockeys and horses to run three turns instead of two because of a dip in the middle of the backstretch. A filly named “Ruthless” won the first Belmont's $1,850 winners purse, outlasting DeCourcey by a head. The race has been run every since, with the exception of 1911 and '12, and the Belmont has established itself as the ultimate test of championship stamina in this country. Its 1-1/2-mile distance now has become a rarity in American dirt races. The Belmont was even longer in its early days at 1-5/8 miles through 1873. But from 1890 through 1926, the race dropped down to distances varying between 1-1/8 and 1-3/8 miles. The 1926 Belmont was run at 1-1/2 miles and was won by Crusader, a son of the legendary Man o' War, in a time of 2:32-1/5. The race has been run at that distance ever since.
Belmont Trophy
The Belmont Stakes trophy is a Tiffany-made silver bowl, with cover, 18 inches high, 15 inches across and 14 inches at the base. Atop the cover is a silver figure of Fenian, winner of the third running of the Belmont Stakes in 1869. The bowl is supported by three horses representing the three foundation thoroughbreds Eclipse, Herod and Matchem. The trophy, a solid silver bowl originally crafted by Tiffany's, was presented by the Belmont family as a perpetual award for the Belmont Stakes in 1926. It was the trophy August Belmont's Fenian won in 1869 and had remained with the Belmont family since that time. The winning owner is given the option of keeping the trophy for the year their horse reigns as Belmont champion.
The Belmont Stakes is called the "Run for the Carnations" because of the blanket of white carnations that are draped over the winner's neck. This year's race was held on Saturday June 9th, 2007 and won by Rags to Riches, the first filly to win the race since 1905 (and the third filly ever). Because of its length (one lap around the enormous Belmont main track), and because it is the final race of the Triple Crown, it is called the "Test of the Champion". Most three-year-olds are unaccustomed to the distance, and lack the experience, if not the ability, to maintain a winning speed for so long. In a long race such as the Belmont, positioning of the horse and the timing of the move to chase for the lead can be critical.
Because of its distance and status as the race that can make or break a Triple Crown champion, the Belmont Stakes has been the venue for some of the most famous moments in American racing.
2007 Belmont Stakes 139th Winner
Before a crowd of 46,870 under overcast skies at Belmont Park, Rags to Riches lived up to her breeding and out-gamed favored Curlin by a head to become the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years and only the third Belmont Stakes winning filly. The previous winning fillies were
Ruthless in 1867 and Tanya in 1905. Nineteen other fillies had previously run in the Belmont Stakes. |
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With John Velazquez as her rider for the first time, Rags to Riches also gave trainer Todd Pletcher his first win in a Triple Crown race. Rags to Riches completed the mile and a half trip in 2:28.74 and paid her backers $10.60 to win. Belmont Stakes Winners Click Here!
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Bet only on horses you feel have a good chance of winning.
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If you don't like a horse, don't bet on it.
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Give preference to winners. Choose a horse that has won before.
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Avoid betting on a horse that has just moved up in class.
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Look for value odds as much as likely winners. If you keep looking for them, you will learn to spot them fairly quickly.
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Look for a horse that has a fair chance of winning and is not overly backed. This is usually a good value bet in the long run. On odds of say, 10:1, you need to win once in ten attempts to break even. Anything more is net profit. Horses backed heavily by touting services and computer handicappers may win more often, but are usually poor value bets.
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When the track is slow or heavy, give preference to fast starters. Slow, muddy and heavy track conditions usually favor the horse that takes an early lead.
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A straight bet is simple, manageable and not too difficult to win. Play it but always weigh up the odds. Avoid favorites and long shots (outsiders) too. Be selective - don't bet on anything or everything.
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When betting straight, consider betting to win and show, or each-way, if the odds are relatively high.
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