How to watch Belmont Stakes 2021 live streams — race post time and more
The Belmont Stakes 2021 live stream sees Essential Quality as a heavy favorite
This year's Belmont Stakes race starts at 6:49 p.m. ET / 3:49 p.m. PT / 11:49 p.m. BST.
Coverage of the day started at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The race itself is on NBC, which streams on Sling Blue (currently on sale for $10 for the first month).
If you can't get the Belmont Stages where you are, a VPN such as ExpressVPN can help you stream it.
The 2021 Belmont Stakes live stream is here, and all eyes are on Essential Quality. Brad Cox's horse is the 2-1 odds-on-favorite to win it all this year. Right behind EQ is Preakness winner Rombauer (trained by Michael McCarthy) at 3-1. The pair will break at the adjacent No. 2 (Essential Quality) and No. 3 (Rombauer) spots.
And the 153rd edition of this historic race is missing one notable name. Trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended by the NYRA, due to an investigation into the failed drug tests of his horse Medina Spirit. A second drug test confirmed the presence of banned substance betamethasone in the blood of Medina Spirit.
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Now that the Belmont Stakes is back to being the third leg of the Triple Crown, we're expecting it to return to the standard 1.5 mile length. When the race was the first of the year, it shrunk to for 1 and 1/8 miles (aka 9 furlongs) to accommodate the following Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Also, fans will be back in attendance this year, unlike in 2020 when social distancing took priority. Of course, if you weren't able to get a ticket (general admission is currently sold out), you've got ways of watching it online. The race is streamed on NBC and pre-race coverage is on NBCSN — and both are available on Sling TV, one of our picks for the best streaming service around.
How to watch the 2021 Belmont Stakes with a VPN
If you've had to leave your own "bubble" -- or you've been hit by a dreaded local blackout -- and you can't watch Belmont Stakes live streams on cable, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for.
Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well.
We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries.
How to watch 2021 Belmont Stakes live streams in the US
The Belmont Stakes 2021 live streams will be carried by NBC and NBCSN (for events earlier in the day). For those who have one of the best TV antennas, or those who haven't cut the cord yet, this isn't a big problem.
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The 153rd Belmont Stakes coverage in the U.S. begins with the pre-race events from 3 to 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and NBC picks it up from 5-7 p.m. ET thereafter.
How to watch the Belmont Stakes 2021 in the UK
Sky Sports has the 2021 Belmont Stakes live streams for those in the U.K. The race is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:49 p.m. BST, which will keep you up a little late, but nothing we've never done for live sports before.
If you don't have Sky, you can get the games through Now TV's day and month passes, which start at £9.99.
How to watch the 2021 Belmont Stakes in Canada
In years past, TSN has been the Canadian home for the Belmont Stakes live streams, and this year is no different. It's on TSN4, with coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET and running to 7:15 p.m. ET.
Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.