What to know about the 2022 Belmont Stakes: Post time, horses, TV schedule, live stream, date

By Daniel TranMay 27, 2022, 4:39 PM EDT

Al Bello/Getty Images

The Belmont Stakes closes out a dramatic 2022 Triple Crown season with everyone’s favorite long shot running in the field.

The 154th Belmont Stakes airs on Saturday, June 11 from 3-5 p.m. ET on CNBC and from 5-7 p.m. on NBC. Coverage is also available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Related: When is the Belmont Stakes?

Rich Strike, who skipped the Preakness Stakes after winning the Kentucky Derby as an 80-1 longshot, is expected to be in the field for the Belmont. However, Preakness champion Early Voting will not be in Elmont, with trainer Brad Cox confirming the three-year-old colt will instead train for the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York on Aug. 27.

What is the Belmont Stakes?

The Belmont Stakes is traditionally the last leg of the American Triple Crown of horse racing. Like the Derby and the Preakness, it’s a Grade I Thoroughbred stakes races. The Belmont Stakes is 1 1/2 miles, or 12 furlongs, which makes it the longest race in the Triple Crown.

The Belmont is run on the dirt track (also known as “Big Sandy”) at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It was first raced in 1867, making it the oldest jewel in the Triple Crown (and the fourth oldest race in North America). However, the race wasn’t run in 1911 or 1912, which is why the Kentucky Derby is still the longest continuous sporting event in the country. The Belmont always been run in or around New York City, having raced at Jerome Park (now closed), Morris Park (also closed) and Aqueduct in addition to Belmont, which is just east of Queens.

Aside from being the last hurdle for Triple Crown contenders, the Belmont is known for Secretariat’s 31-length victory in 1973, which sealed his Triple Crown title and set the current world record at 2:24 for 1 1/2 miles on dirt.

When is the 2022 Belmont Stakes?

The 154th Belmont Stakes is on Saturday, June 11. NBC Sports will broadcast live from Belmont Park on June 11 from 3-5 p.m. ET on CNBC and from 5-7 p.m. on NBC.

How can I watch the 2022 Belmont Stakes?

NBC is home to the 154th Belmont Stakes, providing comprehensive race coverage and analysis live before, during and after the main event. Get started with CNBC coverage on Saturday, June 11 at 3 p.m. before moving to NBC at 5 p.m. All coverage is available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock as well.

What is unique about the Belmont Stakes?

The Belmont is the final test for horses seeking a Triple Crown title. Horses have an additional week of rest between races as opposed to the Preakness, but the Belmont is also the longest race of the three.

Belmont Park is only a few miles away from New York City, and city dwellers can just hop on the Long Island Rail Road for a day at the races. The annual Belmont Festival is back and features several days packed with racing and other events.

Is there a horse that can win the Triple Crown?

While Rich Strike came away with a victory in the first Triple Crown race at the Kentucky Derby, his planned absence from the Preakness assured that there would not be a Triple Crown-winning horse in 2022. The three-year-old colt does have a chance to be the 12th horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in the same Triple Crown season. The last Triple Crown winner was Justify in 2018.

What are the biggest Belmont Stakes traditions?

The Belmont Stakes is traditionally referred to as “The Test of Champions” due to it being the longest Triple Crown race. After the race, the champion horse is draped with a blanket of white carnations, traditionally symbolizing love and luck.

The post parade song for the Belmont Stakes has changed over the years from “The Sidewalks of New York” to Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York” from 1997 to 2009, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” in 2010 and then back to the “Theme from New York” in 2011 to the present.

When the post parade song changed in 1997, so did the official drink. The Belmont Stakes from the vodka-based “White Carnation” to the whiskey-based “Belmont Breeze.” The official drink was changed again in 2011 to the “Belmont Jewel,” which is made with bourbon.

Who won the 2021 Belmont Stakes?

Bad Cox’s Essential Quality outdueled a stubborn Hot Rod Charlie in the final stretch to win the Belmont Stakes. Ownership group Godolphin Stables bred him from leading sire Tapit, who sired three other Belmont Stakes winners. Essential Quality went on to win the Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes in Saratoga. After finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he was retired to stud at Darley’s Jonabell Farm and was announced the 2021 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male at the Eclipse Awards.

Watch the 154th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. ET on CNBC and from 5 to 7 p.m. on NBC. Coverage is also available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT

Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT

Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.