There was no shortage of bettors on the 2023 Belmont racing card as a combined $118.2 million was wagered on the 13 races last Saturday. Excluding those years in which a potential Triple Crown winner was racing, it was the highest handle ever in this U.S. sports betting major event.
Big Betting on Belmont
Over 48,000 paid attendees watched the Belmont live, and on-track wagering totaled $10,657,332 for all 13 races. The combined handle was $118,283,455 from in-person and online betting customers while the Belmont Stakes itself attracted $56,533,820 of that number.
That set a record an NYRA record for a non-Triple Crown year beating the previous mark set in 2021 of $112.7 million, which demonstrates the popularity of horse racing in New York, as the event was held at Belmont Park in Elmont.
The $1.5 million purse was distributed as follows:
- Arcangelo – $900,000
- Forte – $270,000
- Tapit Trice – $150,000
- (Dead Heat) Hit Show – $60,000
- (Dead Heat) Angel of Empire – $60,000
- National Treasure – $30,000
- Il Miracolo – $15,000
- Red Route One – $15,000
- Tapit Shoes
The Payouts
- Win – Arcangelo: $17.80, $7.20, $4.90
- Place – Forte: $4.30, $3.30
- Show – Tapit Trice: $4.10
- Exacta – $34
- Trifecta – $133.24
- Superfecta (Angel of Empire) – $190.15
Trainer Makes History
Jockey Javier Castellano was atop the Kentucky Derby winner, Mage, and won his second Triple Crown race with a bold ride atop Arcangelo. It was his first Belmont Stakes win while trainer Jena M. Antonucci became the first female to train a winner of a Triple Crown race.
The 47-year-old Antonucci was a former equine veterinary assistant and employee for the legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas before going her own way over a dozen years ago. “When we were walking out, I said there is not a table made for you,” she said. “You make the table. You put great people around you, you work hard. Work your tail off. It will come if you do it the right way. Do it the right way.”
“They say there’s no crying in baseball. But they’ve never said it about horse racing,” Antonucci said. “You fight for that spot and you feel you have to prove your worth. Horses don’t care. They don’t care who you are. They know who you are. To have a horse believe in you, and your team, the way this horse does… I wish more people could be like horses,” added Antonucci.
Jon Ebbert, the owner of Arcangelo, commented after his victory, “It’s amazing. What an amazing ride. I’m so proud of the horse. He’s an amazing horse. He’s all heart. We knew he had it in him. Javier rode him perfectly and Jena is an amazing trainer. I’m so lucky to find her. The rest is history.”
Unfortunately, the racing weekend was marred by two equine fatalities, one of which occurred in the race following the Belmont Stakes which was the final race of the day. It was a sobering end to an otherwise magnificent day and continued an unsettling trend of horse racing fatalities that began at Churchill Downs shortly before and after the Kentucky Derby which claimed a dozen horses that either died or had to be humanely destroyed.
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