Belmont Stakes is the third third race of the Triple Crown in the United States.  The race becomes an especially huge draw if the same horse has won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, which sets up a possible Triple Crown victory at the Belmont Stakes.

Best Sportsbooks for Belmont Stakes Betting

• 5Dimes.com – Quality racebook that accepts American residents.
• BetOnline.com – Another high quality sportsbook accepting US bettors.
• Sports Interaction – High quality racebook targetting Canadians.

Belmont Stakes Betting Options

The most common Belmont Stakes bets are the win/place/show wagers.  If you pick a horse to win then they must win the race outright, picking a horse to place means the horse must finish in the top 2 and picking a horse to show means they must finish in the top 3.  Obviously the payouts are different depending on if you choose win, place or show.

Other interesting Belmont Stakes betting options include the Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and more.  These exotic wagers involve betting on more than one horse to finish in the top positions in the race.  For example a Quinella bet requires that you select two horses to finish in the top 2 places.  Whether they finish in first or second doesn’t matter, as long as you correctly chose the two horses to finish in those places.  The Exacta bet is similar, but you must decide which horse finishes first and which finishes second.  Obviously the Exacta wager offers a larger payout.  Trifecta and Superfecta bets involve the top 3 and 4 finishing horses.  For more information on these belmont stakes betting options I suggest you visit the 5Dimes racebook.

Belmont Stakes Details

The Belmont Stakes race takes place every June in Elmont, New York at Belmont Park raceway.  The race is 1.5-miles long and open to 3 year old thoroughbreds.  This final race in the Triple Crown is often referred to as the “test of a champion”, because of the extra distance that the horses must run (1.5 miles compared to 1.25 miles in the Kentucky Derby and 1.1875 miles in the Preakness Stakes).  The Belmont Stakes is generally the least attended of the three Triple Crown races, but this can change if a horse has a chance at the Triple Crown.  The last Triple Crown winner was way back in 1978 when a horse named Affirmed pulled off the feat.  Since Affirmed 11 horses have had a chance at the Triple Crown coming into the Belmont Stakes race, but each of these horses failed to win the longer race, showing why the Belmont Stakes deserves the “test of a champion” motto.