Your Guide to All Things Belmont Stakes

This year’s running of the Belmont Stakes could be historic. Early favorite Big Brown is expected to take home a win, and if he does the 2008 Kentucky Derby and the Preakness winner will become the 12th Triple Crown winner in U.S. history.

Also known as the “Test of Champions,” The Belmont Stakes is the last of the three major races and the longest at 1.5 miles. It’s also the oldest, predating the Preakness by six years and the Kentucky Derby by eight. Named after August Belmont, a successful New York financier and politician, the race is run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

A $1 million purse is at stake, which is split between the horse's owner, jockey, and trainer. Spectators can win big too, by placing bets online, in a home pool or at the track. Can’t make it to the track? Then why not grab a piece of the action and throw a party from home!

DO YOUR HORSE HOMEWORK
Some fans like to choose their horse based on the jockey’s colors, and others pick horses that are pretty. But to pick a winning horse, you might need to do some homework.  Important qualities to evaluate include pedigree, class, pace, speed and the track.  Here’s a quick breakdown from Call to the Derby Post on what the terms really mean.

Pedigree: A horse's ancestral line. If a horse's sire or dam were winners, then chances are that horse could be a winner also.

Class: The level or quality of race at which a horse is running. Most well-known races are graded, Grade I being the highest, Grade III the lowest. For instance, if a horse which normally runs in only graded races were to step down in class and run in a non-graded race, that horse would be a sure favorite. If a horse were stepping up in class, that horse might, though not always, be less of a favorite. Movements between classes are a great way to distinguish horses in a given race.

Pace: How a horse likes to run a race. Some horses like to take the lead early and try to hold it, others like to reserve energy and come from behind. Pace and race distance go hand-in-hand.

Speed: How fast a horse usually runs. Speed horses generally take to the lead early and establish pace. Those with stamina hope to outduel speed runners by the end of the race.

Track: The actual place where the race is held. Often times a horse that races well on one track will struggle on another.

PLACE YOUR BETS
Once you’ve scoured the sports pages and picked a winner, place your bet.  The internet has made it possible to call in a bet from anywhere. Sports betting sites like allhorseracing.com, racebook.com, and bookmaker.com allow users to send in their bet until post time. If you want to put money down on the action, you can also head to more local race tracks to place a bet on the race. Some tracks, like Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, Calif. simulcast the race live on television and on the matrix board at the track. 

If serious gambling isn’t your thing, then start a friendly pool at home.  Ask participants to contribute money into a kitty; it can be $2, $ or $10, whatever is decided by the group. Then write the names of the racing horses on individual pieces of paper, fold them up, put them in a basket for everyone to draw names. Gather in front of the television and tune into ABC (DIS) at 6:30 p.m. to see which horse comes in first. Whoever pulled the winning horse gets the money in the pot!

CELEBRATE THE TRADITIONAL WAY
No Triple Crown party is complete without some of the Belmont Stake’s most recognizable traditions. 

Be sure to decorate with white carnations, the official flower of the race.  According The Belmont Stakes’ official website, this year’s winner will be presented with a blanket of approximately 350 white carnations, weighing between 30 and 40 pounds. But that’s not all. The winner will also receive a Tiffany (TIF) made silver bowl trophy, in addition to the $1 million purse.