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Belmont Park
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Belmont Park Racing Dates
- 2008 Racing Dates April 30 - July 20
- September 6 - October 26
2008 Belmont Stakes
- Date: Saturday June 7th, 2008
- Location: Belmont Park, Elmont, NY
- Post Time: 6:25 PM (EST)
- TV Network: ABC 5 PM (EST)
- Main Track (Dirt): 1 1/2 mile oval.
- Length of stretch from last turn to finish line: 1,097 feet.
- Widener turf: 1 5/16 mile, 27 feet inside main track.
- Inner Turf course: 1 3/16 miles.
Belmont Park: Home of the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, is home to the Belmont Stakes, otherwise known as the "Test of the Champion."
Set to run every June, the US $1 million Belmont Stakes is the longest and most demanding leg of the Triple Crown series. And, as the third jewel in the Triple Crown, it can make or break a Triple Crown champion. History has proven that most 3-year-olds are unaccustomed to the distance at Belmont Park, making it difficult for horses to maintain a winning speed for the duration of the race. Therefore, the positioning of the horse and the timing of the move to chase for the lead can be critical.
The original Belmont track opened on May 4, 1905 but following two separate engineering surveys, Belmont's grandstand/clubhouse were deemed unsafe and a new grandstand had to be built. In 1968 a new grandstand was built at the steep cost of $30.7 million, but considering it holds more racing fans than any other venue the price was right.
Belmont Park can hold 90,000 people and has a seating capacity of 32,941. Home to the elegant Garden Terrace Restaurant, a luxurious five-star restaurant with a seating size of 2,300, Belmont visitors can also treat themselves to some fine dining while taking in their favorite races. Belmont Park is often called one of the best-landscaped venues in American sports because of its stately backyard park (situated behind the grandstand) that includes a paddock where horses are saddled before each race.
Despite its beauty, its rich championship history is what makes Belmont Park one of the most important tracks in horse racing.
Secretariat's 31-length victory at the 1973 Belmont Stakes still stands as the largest in the history of American Grade 1 stakes races. The win also set a world record (2:24 flat) not only for the race, but for the mile and a half (2.4 km) on dirt.
Get all your Belmont Stakes betting in the Bodog Racebook.