Handle on the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on Saturday was $52.6 million, down 6.2 percent compared with handle of $56.1 million on the race last year, according to the charts for the two races.

In addition, attendance at the track and the overnight rating for a Belmont Stakes television broadcast on Saturday were down significantly compared with last year, and there were significant declines in ontrack handle and total handle on this year’s 13-race card.

Curlin, arguably one of the best two or three U.S. horses of the 2000s, dominated racing headlines during his 2007 and 2008 campaigns, providing racing fans with a handful of superior performances on the track and plenty of intrigue elsewhere as well. The all-time earnings leader in North America, Curlin was naturally highly regarded as a potential standout sire upon his retirement in 2008 to William S. Farish III’s Lane’s End in Versailles, Ky.

Palace Malice’s victory in the Belmont Stakes represented an all-encompassing triumph for William Stamps Farish III's Lane’s End, which bred the colt and stands his sire, Curlin.

The excitement of Palace Malice's Belmont Stakes victory was enjoyed by more individuals than the average classic winner, as Cot Campbell, president of the trailblazing Dogwood Stables partnership, was joined by several partners on the winning podium following the final leg of the Triple Crown.

Campbell, who began syndicating horses in 1969 before forming Dogwood in 1973, is generally regarded as the originator of high-end racing partnerships. His partners in Palace Malice are Carl Myers, Paul Oreffice, Charlie Pigg, Mike Schneider, and Margaret Smith.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Five weeks after flying through the final furlong to become a Kentucky Derby winner, Orb floundered in the final three-sixteenths of a mile in Saturday's 145th Belmont Stakes, trudging home a well-beaten third behind Palace Malice in the last leg of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park.

Despite having a strong early pace in which to close, Orb couldn't deliver the same scintillating move he made in the Kentucky Derby, and was unable to pass Oxbow, the Preakness winner who was part of the early pace, for second. Orb was beaten five lengths.

2013 Belmont Stakes order of finish
Finish, Horse, Jockey
1. Palace Malice, Mike Smith
2. Oxbow, Gary Stevens
3. Orb, Joel Rosario
4. Incognito, Irad Ortiz Jr.
5. Revolutionary, Javier Castellano
6. Unlimited Budget, Rosie Napravnik
7. Overanalyze, John Velazquez
8. Vyjack, Julien Leparoux
9. Golden Soul, Robby Albarado
10. Will Take Charge, Jon Court
11. Giant Finish, Edgar Prado
12. Midnight Taboo, Garrett Gomez
13. Freedom Child, Luis Saez

ELMONT, N.Y. – It was an illuminating day at Belmont Park. The sun came out, and the light went on.

After a storm pummeled the area Friday, the sun shined bright on the old New York home of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday afternoon. And Palace Malice added to the wattage, the light finally coming on for a colt held in high regard for months by his trainer, Todd Pletcher.

A sizable field of 14, including Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow, will line up to contest the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes this Saturday at Belmont Park.

The 1 1/2-mile challenge is the final leg of the Triple Crown.

The 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes will be the longest distance test to date in the careers of all 14 horses entered in Saturday’s race and for most, if not all of them, it will be the longest they will ever have to run in competition.

Even with several horses returning from high-profile two-turn starts in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, the added distance of the Belmont places each horse into unknown territory. With no direct on-track form to gauge who is best suited to handle the distance, pedigree becomes a much bigger factor in handicapping the race.

Although there is no Triple Crown on the line, history could still be made in this Belmont Stakes by Unlimited Budget and her rider, Rosie Napravnik.