The Belmont Stakes was first run on June 19, 1867, at the Jerome Park race course, an oddly shaped, English-style track that required the Jockeys and horses to run three turns instead of two because of a dip in the middle of the backstretch. A filly named Ruthless won the first Belmont's $1,850 winners purse, outlasting DeCourcey by a head. The race has been run every since, with the exception of 1911 and '12, and the Belmont has established itself as the ultimate test of championship stamina in this country. Its 1-1/2-mile distance now has become a rarity in American dirt races. The Belmont was even longer in its early days at 1-5/8 miles through 1873. But from 1890 through 1926, the race dropped down to distances varying between 1-1/8 and 1-3/8 miles. The 1926 Belmont was run at 1-1/2 miles and was won by Crusader, a son of the legendary Man o' War, in a time of 2:32-1/5. The race has been run at that distance ever since. Belmont Park is a 430-acre racetrack in Elmont, N.Y. There will be two race meetings at Belmont Park in 2004: the 60-day Spring/Summer meeting will be from May 5 to July 25; and the 33-day Fall Championship meeting will be from Sept. 10 to Oct. 24. Belmont Park is the home of the 136th Running of the Belmont Stakes on June 5, 2004. Belmont Stakes Horse Gambling

Source: Belmont Stakes Horse Gambling