Belmont Stakes has rich history

Saturday's Belmont Stakes is named for August Belmont, a financier and New York social leader who died in 1890 at age 74.
Born in Germany, he learned the banking business with the famous Rothschilds.
Belmont came to the United States at age 20 and began work on Wall Street.
He was chairman of the National Democratic Party, president of the American Jockey Club, and the financial backer of Jerome Park Race Track.
Belmont joined racing in the 1860's, a time when the sport needed a man of his stature since the Civil War had disrupted the sport.
The Belmont Stakes, first run in 1867 at Jerome Park, was created as an American equivalent of the English Derby, a race created in 1780.
Its first winner was Hall of Fame filly Ruthless, a New York-bred.
Belmont won the third edition of the Belmont Stakes with Fenian, also a New York-bred.
The Belmont family would go on to win the race with Hastings (1896), Masterman (1902), Friar Rock (1916), Hourless (1917) and Caveat (1983).
When Belmont died, his stable was sold for $639,000, a huge sum of money for that time, and much of his stock was purchased by his son August Belmont II.
He became the breeder of Man o'War, considered by some as the best horse ever produced in America.
The younger Belmont also bred Fair Play, the sire of Man o'War, and the great filly Beldame, winner of the Alabama Stakes.
He, along with William C. Whitney, J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt and others built Belmont Park, which opened in 1905.
Belmont Park is near the site of Hempstead Plains, the first race course built in America in 1665.
Belmont Park is the grandest track in American racing, with its main track oval of 1½ miles and inner turf courses that provide the fairest circumstances for racing.
By comparison, the main track at Saratoga is 1Þ miles, or three furlongs shorter than Belmont.
The Belmont Stakes has come to be known as the 'Test of the Champion,' a reference to its distance and record of producing great winners.
Since 1926, when the distance was fixed at 1½ miles, 41 of its winners became the division champion, most recently Afleet Alex in 2005.
That is more than 50 percent of the 80 runnings since 1926, a phenomenal statistic.
At one point, from 1951 through 1956, every Belmont Stakes winner was division champion, that group consisting of Counterpoint, One Count, Native Dancer, High Gun, Nashua and Needles.
On six occasions in its history, three or more Belmont Stakes winners in succession were also division champion.
So enjoy this great New York tradition on Saturday, and let's hope for an exciting contest.
And give a thought to the contributions of the Belmont family.
Source: www.saratogian.com