Belmont Horse Lineup 2017
Belmont Stakes has a maximum limit of 12 horses, although it’s unusual that 12 horses actually participate in the same race. In 2018, for example, there were just 10 runners in the race, and in 2017 there were 11 runners.
See Broadcast Schedule. 2150 Hempstead Turnpike Elmont, NY 11003 Directions Lodging Tickets Tracks. 2017 Racing & Events Calendar. January 2017 Get Tickets Plan Your Trip Bet Now. Racing Entries Results Race Replays Scratches & Changes Stakes Schedule Talking Horses News Horsemen Shop. Justify joined the exclusive Triple Crown club and gave trainer Bob Baffert his second Triple Crown in four years. Rogue riderless horse Bodexpress won’t make an appearance at the 2019 Belmont Stakes, but the 151st iteration of the race won’t be without major star power. Mark Casse‘s War of Will looks to.
The Belmont Stakes is run annually in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. As the final leg in horse racing’s Triple Crown the event is always scheduled five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and two weeks after the Preakness Stakes. While the Belmont Stakes itself is the ‘main event’ of the racing weekend there are several prestigious stakes races contested on the ‘undercard’ every year. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has taken steps to make Belmont weekend an even bigger deal by adding a total of eight stakes races on the Thursday and Friday before the race. For 2017, three stakes races will be run on Thursday, June 8 with five more on Friday, June 9.
The 2017 Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 10 with live television coverage of the race on NBC. NBC has made a strong commitment to covering horse racing of late so you can expect coverage of many of the events leading up to the Belmont Stakes including the major races on the undercard on NBC Sports. For those looking to attend the race live, gates open at 8:30 AM on race day. In addition to the highly sought after reserved seating, Belmont Park admits thousands of fans via general admission on a first come, first served basis. Without a high profile superstar horse involved in the 2017 race the ticket availability should be decent compared to recent years.
The stakes races on the Belmont undercard are as follows:
—The Metropolitan Mile: Officially known as ‘The Metropolitan Handicap’, this is a Grade 1 stakes race on dirt for horses three years old and up with a purse of $1.2 million. The ‘Met Mile’ has a long history and was first run at Morris Park in 1891 before moving to Belmont Park in 1904. The Met Mile has been run almost every year since with a stint at Aqueduct in the 1960’s. This race was traditionally run in late May but starting in 2014 was moved back a week to bolster the Belmont Stakes undercard. The Mohegan Sun casino is the naming sponsor for this year’s event.
—The Manhattan Handicap: Some promotional concepts create themselves and this is one of them—The Manhattan Handicap is sponsored by Woodford Reserve Bourbon and the race called simply ‘The Woodford Reserve Manhattan’ in reference to arguably the only decent cocktail made with bourbon (typically enjoyed neat or over the rocks). This race is run on Belmont’s turf course over a mile and a quarter distance for fillies and mares three years old and up. This race has a purse of $1,000,000 and has traditionally been run immediately before the Belmont Stakes. That changed in 2014 with the move of The Metropolitan Mile to the Belmont Stakes card, and the Manhattan Handicap will immediately precede that race.
—The Ogden Phipps Handicap: The Belmont undercard is full of Grade 1 stakes events with the best horses in racing. There’s a slightly different twist this year as the most famous and accomplished horse on the Saturday card at Belmont won’t be racing in the Belmont Stakes. Instead, she’ll be in this race as superstar filly Songbird will make her four year old debut in the Ogden Phipps. Another rescheduled race, the Ogden Phipps Handicap had until 2014 contested in mid-June. The race is a Grade 1 with a purse of $750,000 contested over a mile and a half on a dirt track. It is open to fillies and mares four years old and up.
—The ‘Just A Game’ Stakes: Named after the top filly of 1980, the Just A Game Stakes is a Grade 1 race held on the turf course over a distance of one mile with a purse of $700,000. The event is open to fillies and mares three years and older. The naming sponsor of the race for 2017 is Longines watches.
—The Acorn Stakes: A one mile race on a dirt track for fillies three years old and up, the Acorn is a Grade 1 race with a $700,000 purse.
—The Brooklyn Invitational: Known for years as the ‘Brooklyn Handicap’, this race was first run in 1887 at the Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island and called three other tracks home before moving to Belmont Park for good in 1977. It’s a Grade 2 race over a dirt track of a mile and a half for horses four years old and up with a purse of $400,000.
—The Woody Stephens Stakes: Named for the Hall of Fame trainer, The Woody Stephens Stakes is contested by 3-year-olds at a distance of seven furlongs with a purse of $500,000.
The main event of the day is the Belmont Stakes itself. It is a Grade 1 race over a mile and a half distance on a dirt track for three-year-old horses with a purse of $1,500,000. The live coverage of the event on NBC begins at 5:00 PM though the actual post time varies. The defending Belmont Stakes champion is Creator, who won the race for trainer Steven Asmussen, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and celebrity chef co-owner Bobby Flay.
The Belmont Stakes day racing card is scheduled to get underway at 11:35 AM Eastern with a total of nine stakes races on the card. The tentative post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:35 PM Eastern. NBC Sports will begin coverage of the Saturday Belmont card at 3 PM with NBC picking up coverage at 5:00 PM.
The Belmont Stakes is the third and final horse race of three-year-old Thoroughbreds in the Triple Crown. The race, which is also known as 'The Run for the Carnations' is held at the Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The Triple Crown begins with the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May, which is followed by Preakness Stakes two weeks later. The Belmont Stakes occurs five weeks after the Kentucky Derby.
Is Belmont Stakes Day a Public Holiday?
The Belmont Stakes is always held on the first Saturday of June. Since Saturday is a non-working day in the United States, most government offices and schools are closed, but businesses tend to stay open. Public transport may be limited and it is recommended that people check with the local transit offices for public transport timings.
Holidays in the United StatesHow Is the Belmont Stakes Celebrated?
The oldest and the longest race of the Triple Crown at 2.41 km (1.5 miles), the Belmont Stakes is one of the most watched live sports events in the United States. Because of its length, it is also known as 'The Test of the Champion'. The race attracts well-dressed attendees who traditionally celebrate the event by drinking the Belmont Jewel, the official cocktail of the race.
Not the First Official Drink
The Belmont Jewel, which is made by mixing bourbon, lemonade, and pomegranate juice, has not always been the official drink of the Stakes. In 1997, the original cocktail, the White Carnation, was replaced by the Belmont Breeze. Neither drink met the approval of reviewers. This prompted the organizers to introduce the Jewel in 2011.
Run for the Carnations
The winner of the race is awarded a blanket of over 500 white carnations, which are painstakingly glued to green velvet by hand. The flowers are imported from Colombia.
A Silver Trophy
In addition to the elaborate and heavy blanket of carnations, the winner receives the August Belmont Trophy. It is a silver cup that was designed by American jewelry designer George Paulding Farnham and created by New York jewelers Tiffany and Co. Donated by the Belmont Family, the founders of the Belmont Park, the trophy became the official award of the Stakes in 1926. The winner gets to keep the trophy for a year until the next race day.
Official Song
Like the official drink, the official song of the event has changed over the years. The first official song of the race was The Sidewalks of New York, a song composed in 1894 by Vaudeville actor and singer Charles B. Lawlor. The lyrics of the song were by James W. Blake. In 1996, this was changed to the theme song from New York, New York, a Martin Scorsese film. In 2010, Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind was made the official song of the Belmont Stakes, but in 2011, the organizers went back to the theme song from New York, New York.
What Is the Belmont Stakes?
New Fall Lineup 2017
The Belmont Stakes is a competitive race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, and is the last event of the triple crown. To win the Triple Crown, a horse has to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. So far, only 12 horses have won the Triple Crown.
Geldings and colts are required to carry 57 kg (126lb) and fillies 55 kg (121lb) while running the race.A gelding is a castrated male horse, a colt is a young male horse, while a filly is a young female horse.
History of the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes is one of the oldest Grade I Stakes in the United States. First run in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx, the race did not move to its current home, the Belmont Park, until 1905.
Belmont Horse Lineup 2017 Printable
The race and the race track are named after August Belmont Sr., American politician, diplomat, and avid horse breeder. He was responsible for financing the building of the Jerome Park Racetrack.
| Year | Weekday | Date | Name | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sat | 11 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2017 | Sat | 10 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2018 | Sat | 9 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2019 | Sat | 8 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2020 | Sat | 6 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2021 | Sat | 5 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2022 | Sat | 11 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2023 | Sat | 10 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2024 | Sat | 8 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2025 | Sat | 7 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
| 2026 | Sat | 6 Jun | Belmont Stakes | Sporting event |
New Fox Lineup 2017
While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.