It might seem that the 2017 Belmont Stakes will be as anticlimactic as horse race wagering gets; not there will obviously be no Triple Crown champion, but both Horse Race Betting winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes will be conspicuous by their absences. You’d think these are vampire horses, they’re so afraid of stakes. Anyhow, there is still plenty for people who like to bet on horse racing to be excited about – and plenty to learn as well.
Belmont Stakes sportsbook trends
- Only three colts have been able to run in the Derby, run in the Preakness Stakes and then win in Belmont since 2002 – one of whom was 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
- Thirty-four horses have been sent off at even money or less and just 13 have won since 1940.
- The winner of the Belmont Stakes has paid more than $20 on 11 occasions since 1999 – including last year when Creator returned people who bet on horse racing $34.80.
- The largest payoff in the history of Belmont was Sarava in 2002, who paid $142.50 to win.
- Sixty-two of the past 147 – or 42% – runnings of the race have been won by the favourite.
- Nine horses have been sent off at even money or less and only one has won since Affirmed won the 1978 edition of the race.
- The 2015 exacta returned just $13.60 but that has been the exception rather than the norm lately. The 2013 exacta paid $324, the 2014 exacta returned $348, and the 2016 exacta paid $269.
- Horse race betting legend Secretariat holds the record for largest winning margin; 31 lengths in 1973.
- Only one of the last eight Belmont Stakes winners – and only four of the last 18 – ran in the Preakness Stakes.
- Seventeen of 23 Belmont winners have run in the Kentucky Derby – eight of whom also ran in the Preakness – since 1994.
- American Pharoah was the first gate to wire winner of the Belmont Stakes since Da’ Tara did it in 2008. Only three of the last 31 runnings of the race have been won gate to wire.
- The most winning post position since 2005 has been the No. 1 post with 23 winners. Nonetheless, the last winner to break from the one post was Empire Maker in 2003. The three and five follow with 15 winners each.
- Ruler On Ice (2011) and Crème Fraiche (1985) are the only two geldings to win the Belmont Stakes – for people who bet on horse racing who don’t know, a gelding is a castrated horse. And to those who didn’t want to know, our deepest apologies.
- Just nine horses bred outside of the United States have won the Belmont, but the last one so far was Canada-bred Victory Gallop in 1998. The last overseas Belmont Stakes winner Go and Go in 1990.
- The race has been decided by a nose four times, including the 2016 edition.
- Pharoah is the only horse race betting favourite to win the Belmont Stakes since Afleet Alex in 2005.