June 9, 2016
No Triple Crown winner will follow American Pharoah's historic 2015 run, but excitement continues to build around Saturday's Belmont Stakes. The 148th running of the final jewel will bring Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator back to the field alongside other notable thoroughbreds Suddenbreakingnews, Cherry Wine and Stradivari.
It is an opportune time for hopeful patrons to purchase their Belmont Stakes tickets, too, as prices continue to drop on the secondary market. In fact, this year's Belmont Stakes is the cheapest since at least 2012.
According to TicketIQ the average resale price for 2016 Belmont Stakes tickets is $63.52. That marks an 81% dive from its $343.15 average on May 21, the day Exaggerator thwarted Nyquist's Triple Crown hopes at the Preakness Stakes. Prior to this year, 2013 was the cheapest Belmont Stakes at an average resale price of $87.81. If looking just to get in, the cheapest ticket is now listed from $19.
A Preakness rematch between Exaggerator and Nyquist won't be in the cards, however, with Nyquist sidelined nursing a fever. Exaggerator will line up in the 11th post, though in recent years there has been little evidence to suggest that post positioning greatly affects the winning outcome of the race. A $1.5 million purse will be at stake, with $800,000 being rewarded to the first-place thoroughbred. As of Thursday morning , Exaggerator owns the best odds of winning the Belmont Stakes at 9-5, followed by Stradivari at 5-1, Destin at 6-1 and Cherry Wine at 8-1.
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