Editing Belmont Stakes (section)

== Distance and race details ==
The Belmont Stakes has been run at a mile and a half from 1874 to 1889 and 1926 to the present. An exception was made in 2020 during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]],<ref name=":0" /> when the national racing schedule underwent significant changes. Additionally, the distance of the Belmont Stakes has been changed during the race's temporary relocation to Saratoga in 2024 and 2025, pending regulatory approvals.<ref name=wp061223/>

Besides {{frac|1|1|2}} miles, the Belmont has been run at the following distances: a mile and five [[furlong]]s in 1867–1873; a mile and a quarter in 1890–1892, 1895, 1904–1905, and 2024; a mile and a furlong in 1893–1894 and again in 2020; and a mile and three furlongs from 1896 to 1903 and 1906–1925.

The purse for the first running in 1867 was $1,500 added,<ref>{{cite web|title=Largest and Smallest Purses wins at Belmont Stakes {{!}} Belmont Stakes Betting|url=http://www.belmont-stakes.info/largestpurse|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526004602/http://www.belmont-stakes.info/largestpurse|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-05-26|website=www.belmont-stakes.info}}</ref> meaning the purse was supplemented by nomination and entry fees. This made the total purse $2,500, with the winner receiving $1,850. The purse increased sharply in the Roaring Twenties, from Man O'War's earnings of $7,950 in 1920 to Gallant Fox's take of $66,040 in 1930. Purses declined as a result of the Great Depression, with War Admiral earning only $28,020 in 1937, then began to recover. Throughout the sixties and early seventies, the value to the winner was roughly $100,000, depending on the added money generated by entry fees (larger fields thus leading to higher prize money). The purse was repeatedly raised in the eighties and nineties, reaching $500,000 added, with the winner receiving roughly $400,000.<ref name=PastWinners>{{cite web|title=Past Winners|url=http://www.belmontstakes.com/past-winners.aspx|website=www.belmontstakes.com|access-date=May 28, 2016}}</ref> In 1998, the purse was changed to $1,000,000 guaranteed, with the winner receiving $600,000. In 2014, the purse was raised to $1,500,000.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wing|first1=Eric|title=Belmont Stakes purse raised to $1.5 million – General News – News {{!}} New York Racing Association – Belmont|url=https://www.nyra.com/belmont/belmont-stakes-purse-raised-to-15-million/|website=www.nyra.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804221253/https://www.nyra.com/belmont/belmont-stakes-purse-raised-to-15-million/|archive-date=2016-08-04}}</ref>

With one exception, the race has been run at a level weight of 126 pounds (with a 5-pound allowance for fillies) since 1900. The 126 pounds comes from the [[English Classic Races|English Classics]], where the standard weight is 9 stone, with one stone equaling 14 pounds. In 1913, the Belmont was run as a handicap with the winner carrying only 109 pounds compared to the runner-up carrying 126 pounds. Races run prior to 1900 had varied weight conditions.<ref name =PastWinners />

The first post parade in the United States was at the 14th Belmont, in 1880. Before 1921, the race was run in the clockwise tradition of English racing. Since then, the race has been run in the American, or counter-clockwise, direction.