| 81st Belmont Stakes | |
| Class: | Stakes |
| Horse Race: | Belmont Stakes |
| Location: | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, U.S. |
| Date: | June 11, 1949 |
| Distance: | NaN0NaN0 |
| Winning Horse: | Capot |
| Winning Time: | 2:30 |
| Winning Jockey: | Ted Atkinson |
| Winning Trainer: | John M. Gaver Sr. |
| Winning Owner: | Greentree Stable |
| Conditions: | Fast |
| Surface: | Dirt |
| Previous: | 1948 |
| Next: | 1950 |
The 88th Belmont Stakes was an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York on June 11, 1949. From the fourteen starters,[1] Capot won the race under a ride much praised in the media by future Hall of Fame jockey Ted Atkinson.[2] [3] While Capot had won the Preakness Stakes, there was no Triple Crown at stake as second-place finisher Ponder had won the Kentucky Derby.
The 1949 Belmont Stakes carried a gross purse of $91,500 which went to the first four finishers with the nominator of each of the top three horses receiving $2000, $1,000, and $500, respectively.
| Capot | Ted Atkinson | John M. Gaver Sr. | Greentree Stable | 5.60 | $60,900 | |
| Ponder | Steve Brooks | Ben Jones | Calumet Farm | .80 | $15,000 | |
| Eddie Arcaro | Hirsch Jacobs | 2.25 | $7,500 | |||
| Sun Barham | Carson Kirk | Thomas D. Rodrock | Mrs. Eben H. Ellison Jr. | 23.00 | $3,750 | |
| Halt | Shelby N. Clark | Woody Stephens | Woodvale Farm (Royce G. Martin) | 64.80 | ||
| Old Rockport | Richard T. Watts | Clifford H. Mooers | 12.30 | |||
| Saint Nicholas | Harold Keene | Wilbur Borton | J. Graham Brown | 28.10 | ||
| Engel Man | Vincent Nodarse | William O. Hicks | David Shaer | 196.50 |