Belmont Stakes is the third and final race of the Triple Crown and is known to be the longest out of its three legs. Whether there will be a Triple Crown winner each year is the deciding race. Belmont Stakes is even nicknamed “The Test of Champions.”
And, as the second leg of the Triple Crown has concluded, it’s now time to test the champions this year. Many horse racing fans are now at the edge of their seats as the 2024 Belmont Stakes is fast approaching.
So, it would be ideal if we walked down memory lane and recognized all the fastest thoroughbreds who dominated the Belmont Stakes in the past. Below we have compiled the five fastest horses to run the Belmont Stakes to pay respect to the fantastic winners of the race’s history before we welcome a new one this year.
1. Secretariat
The most famous Triple Crown Winner is Secretariat, and he earned this fame for a reason. When he finished the Belmont Stakes in 1973, he didn’t only acquire the title. He became the fastest thoroughbred ever to win the Belmont Stakes.
It wasn’t easy for Secretariat as doubts about his skills, especially his stamina, are still circulating even though he showed record-breaking wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Many didn’t think Secretariat would make it to the longest Triple Crown race.
But this doesn’t stop Secretariat and his team from working hard. Fortunately, with all the effort and the amazing skill of Secretariat, he won the Belmont Stakes and became the ninth Triple Crown Winner. That’s not the only thing that he earned that day. Secretariat also became the fastest thoroughbred that ran the Belmont Stakes, finishing the race in 2:23.
Make this scenario guide you in your Belmont Stakes betting with Fanduel.com. Never underestimate a thoroughbred, as horse racing is unpredictable; anything could happen. If you have all the reasons to bet on a horse, do it.
2. Easy Goer
The 1989 Belmont Stakes produced the second-fastest horse that won the race. During his era, Easy Goer was a popular horse known for his racing skills earning him the title of the best horse to race in the 1980s.
Out of his 20 races, only five horses defeated Easy Goer. These horses are Housebuster, Criminal Type, Is It True, Lorenzoni, and his mortal rival, Sunday Silence, who defeated him in three of their four meetings.
Easy Goer has earned so many achievements in his time, including being the second fastest horse to ever win in the Belmont Stakes. He finished the 1989 Belmont Stakes race with 2:26 on the clock. He even managed to rank number 34 on the Bloodhorse’s ranking of top racehorses of the 20th Century.
3. A.P. Indy
Another thoroughbred who won the Belmont Stakes with a time of 2:26 in 1992 is A.P. Indy. He tied with Easy Goer as the second-fastest thoroughbred to win the Belmont Stakes. Many horse racing experts of his time knew that he would be a star of his time even before he started racing on a racetrack.
The reason behind this is that he is from a strong pedigree. A.P. Indy was sired by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and Weekend Surprise, the offspring of Secretariat as his dam. He really has the blood of the champion running through his veins.
He was rooted to win the 1992 Kentucky Derby. He became victorious with his five straight races on his way to the Kentucky Derby. But unfortunately, A.P. Indy was scratched off the derby when a vet diagnosed him with a deep bruise that made him lame the morning of the race.
4. Risen Star
Risen Star is another offspring of Secretariat that became one of the fastest Belmont Stakes finishers. He finished the Belmont Stakes race with 2:26.40 on the clock. Risen Star finished the Belmont Stakes finish line only 40 seconds later than Easy Goer and his sibling A.P. Indy.
He became the pride of Louisiana when he became the fourth fastest finisher of the Belmont Stakes, making it the capital of the horse racing industry for a brief but unforgettable period. The 1988 Belmont Stakes was the race for redemption for Risen Star after he fell short in the Kentucky Derby race in the same year.
5. Point Given
The fifth fastest thoroughbred to dominate the Belmont Stakes is Point Given. He finished the race in 2:26:56 in 2001. Point Given proved that horse racing was indeed an unpredictable sport when he won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes as the fifth fastest horse to do so, even though he ended up fifth in the 2001 Kentucky Derby.
A debate has been going around at that period about whether he should have won the Kentucky Derby. But regardless, Point Given has always made his mark in horse racing history as the fifth-fastest thoroughbred ever to win the Belmont Stakes.
Final Words
As the 2024 Belmont Stakes is right around the corner, will it produce another fastest winner in horse racing history? There have been many probable contenders this year that have the potential to be one. So, let’s just wait for June 10 to know if we will have a new record time holder as the fastest horse to win Belmont Stakes or if Secretariat will retain this title.
