1899 Belmont Stakes his first of two in the 1899 Classics as he went on to win in the Preakness aboard Half Time, the colt ridden by Skeets Martin who finished second in the Belmont. The 1899 Kentucky Derby was run on May 4 and the 1899 Preakness Stakes on May 30, five days after the Belmont. The 1919 Belmont Stakes would mark the first time the race would be recognized as the third leg of a U.S. Triple Crown series. 1899 Belmont Stakes The 1899 Belmont Stakes was the 33rd running of the Belmont Stakes. It was the 10th Belmont Stakes held
1973 Belmont Stakes a sloppy track. However, Knightly Dawn was scratched prior to race day. The horse's scratch also reduced the winner's share from $150,200 to $90,120. There was much speculation going into the Stakes over Secretariat's bid for the Triple Crown. Since 1948, when Citation achieved the feat, there had been six horses that had won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes before failing in the Belmont Stakes. When comparing Secretariat to those six horses' health and fitness before the Belmont Stakes, writer Bonifice felt Secretariat was in the best shape, almost as good as when he entered the Kentucky