Belmont Stakes Winners
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Last updated: June 8, 2025 at 7:04 a.m. EDT
2025 Belmont Stakes Winner
Congratulations to the 2025 Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty! In a stretch run reminiscent of the Kentucky Derby (G1), Godolphin’s homebred Sovereignty overhauled favored Journalism to prevail in Saturday’s $2 million Belmont (G1) at Saratoga. Not only did they reprise their exacta from Churchill Downs, but Baeza finished third to replicate the Derby trifecta as well.
Belmont Stakes Winners
The Belmont Stakes is best known as the final leg of the U.S. Triple Crown, but it has a great history all of its own. It’s the oldest of the Triple Crown races and was first contested in 1867, when it was won by a filly, Ruthless.
The race moved to its current venue of Belmont Park when that course opened in 1905. Three years later it was won by Colin, one of the finest horses in U.S. history, unbeaten in 15 races, by a head over Fair Play.
Fair Play went on to become an outstanding sire, and in 1920 his finest son – and arguably America’s finest-ever racehorse – won the Belmont. Man o’War had only one opponent, but he still won by 20 lengths and set a world record for 1-5/8 miles.
A year beforehand, Sir Barton became the first Triple Crown winner, though the term was not in use at that time. He was followed by Gallant Fox in 1930, Omaha in 1935, and Man o’War’s son War Admiral in 1937.
War Admiral’s victory was especially noteworthy as he delayed the start due to his gate antics by eight minutes, cut his right forefoot coming out of the barrier (he returned covered in blood), but still won by three lengths.
The Triple Crown was earned four times in the 1940s, including by two of the finest U.S. racehorses, Count Fleet and Citation, but no more emerged until 1973. It was worth the wait, however – this was the year Secretariat won by 31 lengths in 2:24.00, a record time that still stands.
Two more Triple Crowns followed that decade, to Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978), but it would prove elusive for another 37 years, when American Pharoah ended the drought in 2015.
In between times, however, there were some dramatic races. Easy Goer ended Sunday Silence’s bid with an eight length triumph in 1989 in the second-fastest Belmont ever. Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Smarty Jones were both touched off in their Triple Crown bids, Real Quiet by just a nose.
There was also a notable human triumph in the 1980s: Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens won the race in five consecutive years, between 1982 and 1986, with Conquistador Cielo, Caveat, Swale, Crème Fraiche, and Danzig Connection.
Regardless of whether a Triple Crown is on the line, the Belmont Stakes continues to be an outstanding race – and with the 1-1/2 mile distance being an uncommon test in modern racing, it is always a great betting race.
Recent Belmont Stakes Winners
The last 10 years of Belmont Stakes history has been highlighted by successful and unsuccessful Triple Crown bids, the historic success of a filly, and a parade of longshot winners.
American Phaorah (2015), Justify (2018) and Mo Donegal (2022) are the only favorites in the last decade to win, and Pharoah's 5 1/2-length romp completed the sport's first Triple Crown sweep in 37 years.
Rags to Riches (2007) became the first filly since Tanya in 1905 to win the Belmont when she narrowly denied eventual two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin by a head. Her score came just one year after her half-brother, Jazil (2006), registered the only stakes win of his career in the Belmont.
Longshots Da’ Tara ($79), Summer Bird ($25.80), Drosselmeyer ($28), Ruler On Ice ($51.50), and Palace Malice ($29.60) all won at double-digit odds, while Da’ Tara and Tonalist (2014) thwarted the Triple Crown bids of Big Brown and California Chrome, respectively.
Full Listing of Belmont Stakes Winners
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Time |
|---|
2025 | Sovereignty | William I. Mott | Junior Alvarado | 2:00.69 |
2024 | Dornoch | Danny Gargan | Luis Saez | 2:01.64 |
2023 | Arcangelo | Jena M. Antonucci | Javier Castellano | 2:29.23 |
2022 | Mo Donegal | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 2:28.28 |
2021 | Essential Quality | Brad H. Cox | Luis Saez | 02:27.1 |
2020* | Tiz the Law | Barclay Tagg | Manny Franco | 01:46.5 |
2019 | Sir Winston | Mark E. Casse | Joel Rosario | 02:28.3 |
2018 | Justify | Bob Baffert | Mike Smith | 02:28.2 |
2017 | Tapwrit | Todd Pletcher | Jose Ortiz | 02:30.0 |
2016 | Creator | Steve Asmussen | Irad Ortiz, Jr | 02:28.5 |
Showing 1 to 10 of 159 entries
*2020 race run at 1 & 1/8 miles and as the 1st of the 3 Triple Crown races due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
**Denotes fillies who won the Belmont Stakes