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
1899 Belmont Stakes 1899 Belmont Stakes The 1899 Belmont Stakes was the 33rd running of the Belmont Stakes. It was the 10th Belmont Stakes held at Morris Park Racecourse in Morris Park, New York, and was run on May 25, 1899. The race drew four starters and was won by favored Jean Bereaud whose winning time of 2:23 flat set a new Morris Park track record for 1 miles on dirt. For future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sam Hildreth, it was the first of his seven wins in the Belmont Stakes. For jockey Richard Clawson, the win aboard Jean Bereaud was