Belmont Stakes 2021: Projected Prize Money Earnings, Order of Finish and More

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The 2021 Belmont Stakes might not have a Triple Crown on the line, but there’s still the matter of the $1.5 million purse.

The American Classics don’t just draw attention for their prestigious history and importance to horse racing. There’s some serious money up for grabs that attracts the best three-year-olds every year to compete for their piece of history and cash.

The Belmont returns to its traditional date, distance and purse after all three were altered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Last year, the purse dipped to $1 million, while the distance of 1 ½ miles was shortened to 1 ⅛ miles. The schedule was disrupted last year to make the Belmont the first jewel of the crown, with Tiz the Law coming away as the winner, but is back to being the third race in the series once again.

With a return to some normalcy in the prize-money-payout department, here’s a look at predictions for the field and how much they would take home for their finish.

Predicted Order of Finish and Projected Prize Money Payouts

Win: Known Agenda ($800,000)

Place: Essential Quality ($280,000)

Show: Hot Rod Charlie ($150,000)

4th: Rock Your World ($100,000)

5th: Rombauer ($60,000)

6th: Overtook ($45,000)

7th: Bourbonic ($35,000)

8th: France Go de Ina ($30,000)

The glaring omission from the eight-horse field is Medina Spirit. The Bob Baffert-trained colt could be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby after initially winning the race. A failed drugs test means that distinction is now up in the air.

Regardless of the decision, the Triple Crown will not be in play. In the event Medina Spirit is disqualified, the retroactive winner would be Mandaloun, and Rombauer won the Preakness. Baffert has been suspended from entering any horses at New York race tracks by the New York Racing Association.

But that storyline and the potential damper it puts on the Derby shouldn’t be the main focus Saturday. Rombauer will attempt to capture a second jewel of the Triple Crown while making his connections even more wealthy after winning the Preakness.

Things will be a little different for the winner of the Black-Eyed Susans, though. John Velazquez will draw the mount instead of Flavien Prat. Although the 28-year-old won the Preakness aboard Rombauer, he made a commitment to rejoin his Derby horse Hot Rod Charlie and has chosen to honor that commitment.

“His agent never wavered,” Hot Rod trainer Doug O’Neill said, per the Associated Press. “The way Rombauer won, believe me, it’s human nature to be like, ‘Geez, how do we take off the Preakness horse for a horse that didn’t win the Derby?’ I think that’s a credit to Charlie and what Flavien thinks about Charlie.”

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A jockey jumping from a Triple Crown race winner to take another mount is a fairly rare occurrence. It hasn’t happened since 2009 when Calvin Borel chose Rachel Alexandra over Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Borel ended up guiding the filly to a Preakness win.

Hot Rod Charlie is just one talented horse Rombauer will have to compete with. Essential Quality is among the favorites and could be the No. 1 choice at post time. He was the Kentucky Derby favorite before finishing a disappointing fourth. However, with a smaller field and a longer track, his ability should shine through.

Still, the Belmont has been known to produce some longshot winners. So don’t be surprised if it’s one of the horses with longer odds that wind up winning. The 1 ½-mile track is quite different than what most horses have seen to this point.

The Belmont track has earned its Big Sandy nickname, as the dirt track can be grueling combined with the distance and wider turns. Pedigree can play a big role as horses who are bred for distance tend to be more successful than those sired by sprinters.

That’s a ding on Rombauer’s side. His sire Twirling Candy did not win a graded stakes race beyond 1 ⅛ miles. Meanwhile, a horse like Known Agenda has bloodlines on his side. His sire is Curlin, who won the Preakness Stakes before losing the Belmont by a head in 2007, has already sired a Belmont winner in Palace Malice.

Todd Pletcher, Known Agenda’s trainer, is among the best at producing winners of the race. He has three wins at Elmont under his belt.

A slight wrench in the plan came about on Friday, though. Irad Ortiz Jr., a three-time Eclipse Award winner,  was supposed to guide the colt through the Belmont, but he suffered an injury on June 3 that will keep him out of the race. A replacement rider has yet to be named.

It’s not ideal, but there’s still a lot to like about the horse heading into a race known to offer up surprise winners.