Belmont Stakes Prices Drop As Event Approaches With History On The Line

On Saturday, June 6, Bob Baffert and his horse American Pharoah will be looking to accomplish the elusive Triple Crown that hasn’t been done since 1978 by Affirmed.

Recently, American Pharoah’s quest for horse racing glory got a little easier when two horses dropped out of the field. Todd Pletcher’s horse Carpe Diem, who finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby, has withdrawn, along with Ken McPeek’s horse, The Truth or Else, a horse that didn’t compete in the Kentucky Derby.

Belmont Stakes tickets have been up and down in price leading up to the race. On May 28, the average ticket price was $341.85, according to TiqIQ.com. Today, June 3, the average ticket price is $277.49, with a get-in price of $15. There is a wide variety of ways to attend the race if a fan of sports history was planning on attending, resulting in the wide-range of separation between get-in price and average ticket price.

Any person attending the race can walk up to the gate on the day of the race and pay $15 for entry. With that low-entry cost, Hipmunk.com will get anyone there from anywhere, offering flights to and from New York City through most major airline carriers. JFK Airport is less than 30 minutes away from Belmont Racetrack by car, and has plenty of available modes of public transportation to go to and from the event. For those looking to avoid the traffic after the event and enjoy a weekend in New York, booking hotels in New York can be done through Hipmunk as well.

With two horses dropping out of the race, American Pharoah only has to be better than seven horses on race day. For those fortunate enough to win two out of the first three legs, the most difficult part of accomplishing the Triple Crown feat is defeating horses that haven’t raced in the major events prior to the Belmont. American Pharoah will be up against a couple of fresh horses that haven’t raced in sometime, and are all geared up for this one race. Last year, this part of the racing schedule infamously caused California Chrome owner Steve Coburn to go on a rant after losing to the well-rested Tonalist at the Belmont Stakes.

The two most plausible outcomes for the 2015 Belmont Stakes is that Bob Baffert and American Pharoah go down in horse racing history, or a fresh horse that skipped The Preakness (second out of three races) and is a Belmont track regular steals the show. One thing for certain is America will be watching as history is on the line.