SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York — The Belmont Stakes is the final test of the Triple Crown – the third resume booster to put a horse in the history books. It is not an easy task.
The third stage is the longest of the three races at 1.5 miles and requires a stamina horse to handle it. There have been 36 Triple Crown-eligible horses that have made it to the Belmont, and only 13 have secured the third jewel.
This year, because it is being held at Saratoga Race Course instead of Belmont Park, the shape of the track makes it implausible for it to run at 1.5 miles, so it is shortened to 1.25 miles – the same distance as the Kentucky Derby. It’s a change, but it’s not one that retired jockey and Fox Sports racing analyst Richard Migliore says merits an asterisk for the winner.
“It doesn’t take away from the event,” Migliore said. “It’s a classic American race that is difficult to win. Winning races at the Grade I level, over any distance, whether it’s 5 furlongs or 2 miles, is extremely difficult.”
Changing the distance is nothing new for the Belmont, which has been run at various lengths since the first edition in 1867. Going 1.5 miles has been a mainstay since 1927, although it has been shortened to 1.5 miles in 2020 when he led the way. Triple Crown in order due to pandemic.
This year it’s only a quarter-mile change, but it was a major factor in horses entering the stakes.
Derby winner Mystik Dan is expected to run at Belmont, but trainer Kenny McPeek said he probably wouldn’t have run him at the traditional distance.
“I’d rather it be a mile and a quarter than a mile and a half,” McPeek said. “I couldn’t take it to Belmont and ride it a mile and a half.”
The 9-5 opening favorite, Sierra Leone, was a nose behind Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Chad Brown wasn’t sure of the regular distance, but once it was announced it would be shorter, he entered the horse.
“The decision was very simple,” Brown said. “It seems like he has incredible endurance. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I think he’s a mile-and-a-half horse. … Much more attractive over a mile-and-a-quarter distance.”
The shorter distance does not appeal to all coaches. Todd Pletcher, who has won the Belmont four times, would have preferred the normal distance. Pletcher has three entries in the 10-horse field, including 7-2 second choice Mindframe.
“We’d probably have two more,” Pletcher said. “I miss the mile and a half part. Part of it is selfish because I’ve had success over that distance. I appreciate that it’s the real test over a mile and a half. But how could you? I don’t accept not to have a good race at Saratoga.”
The distance change is temporary for the next two years before the race returns to the remade Belmont Park in 2026, after $455 million in renovations. It is then expected to once again become the 1.5 mile “test of the champion” as it has been called for almost a century.
“In a perfect world, yes, I would like to see this from a mile away,” Migliore said. “I don’t think it distracts from the shortening of the race itself.”
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