With the Belmont only a few days away, and with the distinct possibility of yet another Triple Crown winner here's some Belmont trivia to take with you to the neighborhood Belmont Bash.
(Secretariat's Win at Belmont)
Did you know........
1) In the early years of the Belmont, the race was
run clockwise (as races are run in England) over a fish hook-shaped
course which included part of the current training track. The first
counterclockwise Belmont Stakes was run in 1921.
2) Trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons saddled father and son Triple Crown winners -- Gallant Fox (1930) and Omaha (1935).
3) Five times the Belmont Stakes went off with
only two horses in the field -- 1887, 1888, 1892, 1910 and 1920, when
Man o' War won.
4) The largest field for the Belmont Stakes was 15 horses in 1983 when Caveat defeated Slew o' Gold.
5) The white carnation is the
traditional flower of the Belmont Stakes. The blanket of 300-400
carnations worn by the winner takes 10 hours to put together. The
flowers are shipped in from either California or Bogota, Colombia.
6) Easy Goer's victory was the second-fastest (2:26) in Belmont history. Only Secretariat (2:24 in 1973) was faster.
