What was the fastest time in Belmont Stakes history?

One horse reigns supreme over the speed record at Belmont Park.

By David Fucillo@davidfucillo Jun 10, 2023, 9:00am PDT

The 2023 Belmont Stakes runs this Saturday to close out the Triple Crown. While we won’t have a Triple Crown winner, plenty of eyes will still be on Forte, Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, and the rest of the field competing at Belmont Park.

It’s possible one of the horses will win a convincing victory, but it is all but certain none will match the dominant effort Secretariat put together in 1973. That remains the biggest win in Belmont Stakes history and remains an American record for 1 ¹⁄₂ miles on dirt. You can view the video above and watch Secretariat finish the race in 2 minutes, 24 seconds and beat second-place Twice a Prince by 31 lengths.

Sham gave Secretariat a run for his own money early, but it’s likely the legendary horse was just toying with his adversary. On the back stretch, Secretariat pulled away and it became a battle for second place more than anything else. Sham struggled down the end and finished the race in fifth place. Twice a Prince finshed second, My Gallant finished third, and Pvt. Smiles finished fourth.

This screen shot of the end of the race says it all. Secretariat is in the front approaching the finish lines, and you can make out two horses nearly out of the picture. It was an absurd run that capped off arguably the most dominant horse racing display ever. Secretariat secured the Triple Crown, and set Stakes records at all three races.