Belmont Stakes win the Triple Crown when he struggled across the finish line in 4th place behind Pass Catcher, ridden by Walter Blum. Despite this loss, Cañonero II was named the winner of the first Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse. On June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by thirty-one lengths in a record time of 2:24, becoming a Triple Crown champion, ending a 25-year gap between Citation, the Belmont and Triple Crown winner in 1948. Secretariat's record still stands as the fastest running of the Belmont Stakes and an American record for 1½ miles on the dirt. In
1919 Kentucky Derby 1919 Kentucky Derby The 1919 Kentucky Derby was the 45th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 10, 1919. Horses Corson and Clermont scratched before the race. Winner Sir Barton went on to win in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, becoming the first winner of the American Triple Crown. A "New York Times" writer believed that the Preakness Stakes was competing for attention with the Derby, as it was held four days following the Derby and offered a purse of $30,000, larger than the Derby's $20,000. The author felt that the three-year old racing horses during