Do you need experience at Belmont Park to win the Belmont Stakes?

Trainer Kenny McPeek’s recent list of 11 reasons as to why he’s running The Truth or Else in Saturday’s Belmont S. (G1) started out with “My horse loves the Belmont track. (He has) two starts and two wins over a dry Belmont.”

That got me to thinking.

How many past Belmont Stakes winners have had prior and/or winning experience at Belmont Park?

Check out the list below of the past 15 Belmont winners to find out the answer to that question:

YEAR		WINNER		RECORD AT BELMONT (AGE)
2014		Tonalist		1-1-0-0 (3yo)
2013		Palace Malice		1-0-1-0 (2yo)
2012		Union Rags		1-1-0-0 (2yo)
2011		Ruler on Ice		0-0-0-0
2010		Drosselmeyer		1-0-1-0 (3yo)
2009		Summer Bird		0-0-0-0
2008		Da' Tara		1-0-1-0 (2yo)
2007		Rags to Riches		0-0-0-0
2006		Jazil		1-0-0-0 (2yo)
2005		Afleet Alex		1-0-1-0 (2yo)
2004		Birdstone		1-1-0-0 (2yo)
2003		Empire Maker		1-1-0-0 (2yo)
2002		Sarava		0-0-0-0
2001		Point Given		1-0-1-0 (2yo)
2000		Commendable		0-0-0-0

 

So, this very small sample shows five of the past 15 winners never raced at Belmont Park and eight of the remaining 10 did so during their juvenile careers.

For comparison, here’s the current list of Belmont Stakes runners, in alphabetical order:

NAME		RECORD AT BELMONT (AGE)
American Pharoah		0-0-0-0
Carpe Diem		0-0-0-0
Frammento		0-0-0-0
Frosted		1-0-1-0 (2yo)
Keen Ice		0-0-0-0
Madefromlucky		1-1-0-0 (3yo)
Materiality		0-0-0-0
Mubtaahij		0-0-0-0
Tale of Verve		0-0-0-0
The Truth or Else		2-1-0-1 (2yo) 1-1-0-0 (3yo)

 

The sample size is really too small to draw any definite conclusions, but for those looking to beat American Pharoah it does offer three runners to pick from!