The Belmont Stakes is traditionally 1.5 miles long (12 furlongs), making it the longest of the three U.S. Triple Crown races and earning its nickname “The Test of the Champion.”

However, there are a couple of timely nuances worth knowing:

  • In most modern years (and again from 2026 onward), the race is 1.5 miles on dirt.
  • Due to venue and scheduling changes, some recent editions were shorter, such as 1.25 miles and 1.125 miles, but these are exceptions, not the standard.

If you’re asking in general, the answer people mean by “how long is the Belmont Stakes?” is that it’s a mile and a half.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.