It’s a major change on the spring schedule: The Belmont Stakes will be contested Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, at a distance of 1 1/4 miles. The massive renovation of Belmont Park necessitates the move for the next two years; the configuration of Saratoga’s 1 1/8-mile track necessitates the distance shift from the traditional 1 1/2 miles. But while the Belmont is the oldest of the Triple Crown races – it was first held in 1867, preceding the Preakness Stakes in 1873 and the Kentucky Derby in 1875 – a constant in its early decades was change. Although this is the farthest the race has ventured upstate, it was held at multiple New York tracks in its early history – including due to a Belmont rebuild in the 1960s – and has been run at distances from 1 1/8 miles to 1 5/8 miles – including this 10 furlongs six times before. Through track closures, anti-gaming legislation, pandemics, and more, here are some of the key moments and changes in Belmont Stakes history – and how some of these historic moments link to this year’s field. :: DRF Belmont Stakes Packages: Save up to 52% on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more 1867: The filly Ruthless won the first edition of the Belmont Stakes, contested over 1 5/8 miles at Jerome Park in what is now part of The Bronx. The race was named for August Belmont I, who helped fund the building of Jerome Park and served as its first president. 1890: When Jerome Park closed, nearby Morris Park took over as the Belmont’s home from 1890 through 1904. Burlington won the 1890 edition of the race at 1 1/4 miles – and on the undercard, 5-year-old Montague won the Preakness Stakes, contested without age restrictions under handicap conditions. Although born in Maryland, the Preakness was held this one time at Morris; was not run from 1891-93; resurfaced at another New York track, Gravesend; and then returned to its traditional home, Pimlico, in 1909. 1895: The latest Belmont Stakes in history took place, with Belmar winning on Nov. 2. Laws that banned bookmaking in New York had forced the postponement of the race. 1905: The filly Tanya won the first edition of the Belmont at Belmont Park. A few years prior, a syndicate headed by August Belmont II and former Secretary of the Navy William C. Whitney had sought out land on Long Island to build what they envisioned as the grandest track in America, modeled after the great race courses of Europe. They found their spot on the border of Queens and Nassau counties. Tanya’s victory in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont would mark the last win by a filly for more than a century. 1911: The anti-gambling Hart-Agnew Law of 1908 shut down New York racing, and the Belmont was not held in 1911 and 1912. The era actually helped boost the popularity of the Kentucky Derby, as New York horsemen shipped out of town to campaign their 3-year-olds. New York racing began to re-open in 1913. 1920: The great Man o’ War followed a Preakness win with a victory in the 1 3/8-mile Belmont by 20 lengths in a stakes and American record time. This edition of the Belmont, like other early races at the course, was run clockwise, or European-style. In 1921, the race began to be contested in the counterclockwise American style. 1930: Gallant Fox won the Preakness, followed by the Kentucky Derby and then the Belmont Stakes – at 1 1/2 miles, the traditional distance established in 1926. Charles Hatton of Daily Racing Form put the term “Triple Crown” into the common vernacular that spring, and Sir Barton, who had swept the races in 1919, was conferred the honor after the fact. 1948: Citation became the eighth Triple Crown winner, and the fourth of six Belmont winners for Eddie Arcaro, who also won the classic in 1941, 1942, 1945, 1952, and 1955. He is tied for the all-time record with Jim McLaughlin (1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888). 1963: Belmont Park was closed due to structural defects, was rebuilt, and re-opened in 1968. The Belmont Stakes was moved to Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967. 1973: Secretariat’s 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes in a record 2:24 snapped the 25-year Triple Crown drought since Citation. Two more Triple Crown winners followed in the 1970s, with Seattle Slew sweeping the series in 1977 and Affirmed outdueling archrival Alydar in 1978. Another long wait followed. 1982: Trainer Woody Stephens saddled his first Belmont Stakes winner, Conquistador Cielo, just five days after the horse defeated older foes in the Metropolitan Handicap. Stephens would send out five consecutive Belmont winners, with Conquistador Cielo followed by Caveat, Swale, Creme Fraiche, and Danzig Connection. Although the all-time Belmont Stakes record is held by James G. Rowe Sr. with eight victories (1883, 1884, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913), Stephens’s five consecutive wins is considered a feat that may never be equaled. 1993: Julie Krone became the first woman to ride the winner of a Triple Crown race, piloting Colonial Affair to the score. The colt raced for Centennial Farms – which has Peter Pan Stakes winner Antiquarian pointed to this year’s Belmont. 2002: Sarava posts the biggest upset in Belmont Stakes history, returning $142.50. The colt was trained by Kenny McPeek, trainer of this year’s Derby winner Mystik Dan. :: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more 2004: A record crowd of 120,139 turned out to watch Smarty Jones’s bid for the Triple Crown; the popular colt was run down late by Birdstone. 2007: Kentucky Oaks winner Rags to Riches outdueled subsequent two-time Horse of the Year Curlin to become the first filly to win the Belmont since Tanya. She was the first of four Belmont winners for Todd Pletcher – a number of wins he shares with mentor D. Wayne Lukas. Both will be active in this year’s race, with Lukas saddling Preakness winner Seize the Grey and Pletcher sending out Antiquarian, Mindframe, and Protective. 2015: American Pharoah ends the record 37-year Triple Crown wait, winning the Belmont Stakes. Justify followed three years later in the 150th edition of the Belmont Stakes, bringing the number of Triple Crown winners to 13 – where it will stay for at least one more season. Both colts were trained by Bob Baffert. 2020: Before an empty grandstand, Tiz the Law wins the Belmont as the first leg of the pandemic-shuffled Triple Crown. The race was the first in the series, with the Derby following in September and Preakness in October. Because it was held earlier in the series and before many horses had a chance to get distance seasoning, it was shortened to nine furlongs – a distance it also was contested at in 1893-94, but the first time since 1926 the race had not been at 1 1/2 miles. 2023: The final Belmont Stakes before renovations began a Belmont Park was won by Arcangelo, with Jena Antonucci becoming the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race.