1973 Belmont Stakes meant he completed the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. This was significant as he was the ninth horse to complete the feat and broke a 25-year drought where a horse failed to complete the achievement. Secretariat, Sham, Pvt. Smiles, and My Gallant were the first four horses to be entered into the Belmont Stakes. Secretariat, winner of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, was the odds on favorite to win the event. The added distance of the Belmont when compared to the Derby and Preakness was found to be one potential reason for Secretariat to lose the race.
1910 Belmont Stakes 7 and the 1910 Kentucky Derby three days later on May 10. The Belmont was run twenty days after the Derby. 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. As a result of New York State's Hart-Agnew anti-betting legislation, which contained penalties allowing for fines and up to a year in prison, racing ended in 1910. For the next two years racetracks in New York were closed. The Belmont Stakes would not be run again until 1913. 1910 Belmont Stakes The 1910 Belmont Stakes