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
2014 Belmont Stakes was the third highest in Belmont Stakes history. The 2014 race set a record for the New York Racing Association (NYRA) for the amount of money bet, with an on-track handle of $19,105,877 and all-sources handle of $150,249,399. It had the second-highest television viewership to the 2004 broadcast. The only three horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown were Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome, Ride On Curlin, and General a Rod. Returning from the Kentucky Derby, having skipped the Preakness, were Commanding Curve (who was second in the Derby), Wicked Strong, Medal Count, and