Triple Crown Horse Racing 2005 Heats Up

| Triple Crown Winners | Triple Crown Misses | The Triple Crown Races |

Belmont Stakes 2005

The final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes - Test of the Champion for 3-year-olds, is the oldest of the top three races and the longest at one and a half miles. Horse racing fans also call it the Race for the Carnations. Winning the Belmont not only allow horses to take home the $1 million purse, but also the once-in-a-lifetime chance of winning the Triple Crown honors. Belmont Stake's inaugural running was in 1867 at Jerome Park Recourse. It predates Preakness by six years and the Kentucky Derby by eight. It was finally given its own home in 1905 when the Belmont Park opened in New York.

Will this year bring forth a new Triple Crown victor and quench horse racing fans' thirst for a true champion? Several top contenders will attempt to gain that feat while the bets keep coming and the excitement keeps rising.

The 2005 Triple Crown races officially kicks off on May 7th for the Kentucky Derby. It will be followed by Preakness Stakes on May 21st, and finally the Belmont Stakes on June 11th.