California Chrome had a chance to complete the third leg of the Triple Crown after his victories in the 2014 Kentucky Derby and the 2014 Preakness Stakes.

[5] The only three horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown were Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome, Ride On Curlin, and General a Rod.

"New shooters" who had not run in either of the previous Triple Crown races included Tonalist, Matterhorn, Matuszak, and Commissioner.

Commissioner and General a Rod challenged for the early lead and jockey Victor Espinoza elected to ease California Chrome into third place at the first rail.

However, Tonalist continued to surge and beat Commissioner to the line by a head, with a winning time of 2:28.52.

A slight surge brought California Chrome into a dead heat for fourth with Wicked Strong, but left him 1.5 lengths behind the winner.

[2] Initial post-race analysts thought that California Chrome had stepped on his own feet, or "grabbed a quarter" in equestrian parlance, as he had some blood on his right front heel.

"[12] After the race, California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn said the horses who had not taken part in the Kentucky Derby or Preakness Stakes took "the coward's way out".

Dale Romans, trainer of third-place finisher Medal Count, expressed concern that General a Rod, who finished seventh, was late to the test barn prior to the race, and that trainer Michael Maker had given the horse an unfair advantage by doing so.

However, New York Racing Association officials found that General a Rod completed all pre-race testing and had no unfair advantage.

[14] Ride On Curlin, who was one of the other horses to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown, was eased in the stretch because he began bleeding from his lungs; he did not finish the race.

The previous record for Belmont Park was set at the Breeders' Cup when it was held there on October 29, 2005, with on-track wagering of $14,742,520 and $124,009,593 for all sources.