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
2011 Belmont Stakes able to recover and finished in 6th place. Shackleford finished in 5th place after leading for most of the race before the final stretch. Other starters were Kentucky Derby second-place finisher Nehro and Mucho Macho Man, 3rd in the Derby and 6th in the Preakness. Other Derby contenders Master of Hounds (5th) and Santiva (6th) also ran. Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom was installed as the 2–1 early line favorite. For the first time, the first seven finishers from the Derby ran in the Belmont. The Belmont Stakes Payout Schedule 2011 Belmont Stakes The 2011 Belmont Stakes was the 143rd