Dornoch won the third leg of the Triple Crown competition on Saturday at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Among a stacked field, the odds were not in favor of the horse at 17-1.
Ahead of the race, Sierra Leone, who took second at this year’s Kentucky Derby, was favored to win, followed by Seize the Grey and Mindframe, according to Fan Duel Sportsbook odds.
A changed Stakes
The last leg of the Triple Crown looked a little different this year.
For one, the Belmont Stakes was moved to the Saratoga race track, more than three hours’ drive north of its traditional venue at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The historic Elmont racetrack is undergoing a near-half-billion dollar renovation and is set to welcome back the horse race in 2026.
Also, the purse was bigger, having grown from $1.5 million last year to $2 million. After the prize money has been divvied up among the top finishers, a payout of about $1.2 million will go to the first-place winner.
The race was also shorter by a quarter mile. Usually the longest of the Triple Crown races at 1 1/2 miles, the Belmont Stakes this year was the same distance as the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles, due to the shape of the track.
