Belmont Stakes 2026: What to know about the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown

The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, will be run on Saturday.However, like the Preakness Stakes, it will not be run at its usual track.The race known as "The Test of the Champion" will be run at Saratoga Race Course for the third straight year, as Belmont Park began undergoing major renovations in 2024.Because the race is being run at an alternate course, it has a shortened distance of 1 1/4 miles, compared with the usual 1 1/2-mile distance at Belmont Park.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMSovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, leads the first turn in the 157th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on June 7, 2025.
Sovereignty won the race.(Al Bello/Getty Images)Returning to the Belmont Stakes is Golden Tempo, who won the Kentucky Derby.
Golden Tempo did not run in the Preakness Stakes.Napoleon Solo won the Preakness Stakes but will not be running in the Belmont Stakes.None of the horses that raced in the Preakness Stakes will race in the Belmont Stakes, meaning no horse will have competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown.Nine horses will compete for the $2 million purse.CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACEA horse is washed before a workout ahead of the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on June 5, 2026.
(Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)Renegade, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby and is trained by Todd Pletcher, has the best odds at 2-1.Emerging Market, who is trained by Chad Brown, and Commandment, who is trained by Brad Cox, are both at 5-1.Golden Tempo, who won the Kentucky Derby and is trained by Cherie DeVaux, is at 9-2.Chief Wallabee, who is trained by Bill Mott, is at 6-1.Golden Tempo is coming off a five-week break after winning the "Run for the Roses".
It is the second straight year that the Kentucky Derby winner skipped the Preakness but ran in the Belmont Stakes, as Sove...