When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
The final race in the 2024 Triple Crown is here, and it's slightly different from past years. We'll show you everything you need to know about the race, including how to watch the Belmont Stakes, when the main event takes place, and what's new this year.
The Belmont Stakes comes on the heels (or hooves) of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Streaks, the other two events that make up the Spring's Triple Crown horse races. Planned renovations at Belmont Park mean that the race will be held at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, for the first time in history. The Saratoga course is slightly shorter than the Belmont course, so the race will be 1.25 miles long rather than the usual 1.5 miles. Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness Streaks runner-up Mystik Dan is scheduled to participate in today's race.
Keep reading to learn how to watch the 2024 Belmont Stakes, including a free live streaming option. Plus, we'll let you know exactly when you need to tune in to watch the main event, since it's a busy day filled with many races.
- See also: Where to watch French Open| How to watch NBA Finals| Where to watch Formula 1
How to watch the Belmont Stakes in the US
In a change-up from the other two Triple Crown races this year, the Belmont Stakes will air on Fox Sports 1 and FOX. Coverage will start on FS1 at 10:30 a.m. ET and run until 4 p.m. Starting at 4 p.m. ET, FOX's main channel will take over coverage. The 156th Belmont Stakes is scheduled to start at 6:41 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 8 on FOX.
If you don't have cable, you can catch both early FS1 coverage and FOX coverage of the main race using Fubo, a live TV streaming package. Subscriptions start at $79.99 a month, but new users can currently try the service free for one week.
Fubo is the streaming service for sports fans. Its huge library of channels includes regional and international sports leagues, setting it apart from the competition. You can also tack on additional programming to your plan, but it'll cost you extra.
How to watch the Belmont Stakes in the UK
The Belmont Stakes will air on Sky Sports in the UK. For those without cable, you can get in on the streaming action via a Now TV account. Now Sports' one-off memberships start at £14.99 a day.
How to watch the Belmont Stakes in Ireland
The Belmont Stakes will live stream through Virgin Media 2 in Ireland. This free streaming option doesn't require any account creation, so viewers just need to go to the website at the start of the race to watch it live. Virgin Media 2 is also accessible if you're outside of Ireland right now via a VPN. See below for details.
How to watch the Belmont Stakes for free from anywhere
If you'll be outside Ireland when the race kicks off but you still want to tune in to the free stream, you can access it via VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs allow you to temporarily change your device's location so that you can access websites from anywhere. VPNs have a variety of uses, but they're especially popular among people looking to keep up with their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad and those hoping to boost their online privacy.
If this sounds like it might be a good fit, we recommend trying ExpressVPN. It's an easy-to-use VPN with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our ExpressVPN review has all the details. Keep reading to learn how to use a VPN.
With its consistent performance, reliable security, and expansive global streaming features, ExpressVPN is the best VPN out there, excelling in every spec and offering many advanced features that makes it exceptional. Better yet, you can save up to 49% and get an extra three months for free today.
How to watch the Belmont Stakes with a VPN
- Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
- Install it on the device you're using to watch the race.
- Set the location to Ireland.
- Go toVirgin Media 2.
- Enjoy the 156th Belmont Stakes.
Note:The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
Associate Editor of Streaming
Lillian Brown is the Associate Editor of Streaming for Business Insider. She joined the company in early 2024 as a Fellow before joining us full-time a few months later. She focuses on 'how to watch' guides for streaming services and live events for the Reviews team. She also covers VPN usage.Her entertainment writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Vulture, TV Guide, Time, Esquire, and The Daily Beast, among others. She specializes in writing about film and television. Previously, she worked in the Living/Arts department of The Boston Globe.When not teaching people how to stream the best live sports and TV shows, Lillian can be found long-distance running, watching the latest season of For All Mankind, or playing through The Last of Us Part II on her PS4 yet again.
You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.