Belmont Stakes Records

Secretariat, with jockey Ron Turcotte and trainer Lucien Laurin, holds the all-time Belmont Stakes record. In 1973, Secretariat won the Triple Crown, in the process setting records that still stand in both the Kentucky Derby (at 1:59 2/5) and the Belmont Stakes (at 2:24). Secretariat’s time in the Belmont Stakes also set a world record for the fastest ever mile-and-a-half on dirt track.

Nicknamed “Big Red” – as was the legendary Man O’War – Secretariat was possibly the greatest of all American thoroughbreds. In 1999, his image was added to a US postage stamp.

Since the first Belmont Stakes was run in 1867, a total of 11 horses have secured the Triple Crown. The most recent Triple Crown winner was Affirmed, in 1978.

The largest ever crowd in Belmont Stakes history – at 85,818 people – turned out in 1999, when hopes ran high that Charismatic, who had won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, would become the 12th Triple Crown winner. Unfortunately, Charismatic sustained a fracture during the race and finished third.

Belmont Stakes Records: Trainers & Jockeys

The most successful Belmont Stakes trainer is James G. Rowe, Sr, who can boast a total of eight Belmont Stakes wins. He is followed by Sam Hildreth with seven wins, and then by Jim Fitzsimmons, with six wins. See Belmont Stakes winners for details.

Two jockeys – Jim McLaughlin and Eddie Arcaro – share the Belmont Stakes record, with six wins each. In 1993, Julie Krone became the first woman to win a Triple Crown race when she rode Colonial Affair to victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Both James G. Rowe, Sr. and George M. Odom won the Belmont Stakes as both jockey and trainer.