His winning time of 2 minutes and 24 seconds still stands as the American record for a mile and a half on dirt.

Secretariat, winner of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, was the odds on favorite to win the event.

[1] The added distance of the Belmont when compared to the Derby and Preakness was found to be one potential reason for Secretariat to lose the race.

[2] Steve Cady of The New York Times wrote that Secretariat could be defeated if the pace of the race went too fast or was too slow for too long, in both of which scenarios he felt Sham would win.

[5] With the presence of Knightly Dawn, William Boniface of The Baltimore Sun believed that Secretariat would have to run faster earlier on, thus making the final half-mile more unpredictable.

[11][12] The scratch of Knightly Dawn before the race reduced the purse to $150,200,[6] which was awarded to the first through fourth-place finishers in the sums of $90,120, $33,044, $18,024, and $9,012, respectively.

[17] Approximately 11 days after the Belmont Stakes, Sham suffered a hairline fracture in his right front cannon bone during training,[18] which ended his racing career.

[16] Twice a Prince started slowly and moved along the rail until reaching second position, passing Sham and outpacing My Gallant.

[6] Neil Milbert of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Secretariat "ran what may have been the greatest horse race in history.

"[7] When asked about Secretariat's margin of victory, trainer Lucien Laurin stated: "Naturally, not that big!

[29] Through his combined victories at the Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Derby, Secretariat became the ninth horse to complete the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing,[30] and the first horse since Citation in 1948, ending a 25-year period without a Triple Crown winner.

[31][32] Following the Belmont, Secretariat was allowed several weeks rest before entering a few more competitions and then starting his a career as a stud, where he had been syndicated for close to $6.08 million.

[34] In 2013, the 40th anniversary of his Belmont win was commemorated by the New York Racing Association by placing a blue-and-white checkered pole (the colors of Meadow Stable) at the Belmont track, located 253 feet 2 inches (77.17 m) from the finish line to mark the 31-length margin of victory.