The time was a full second faster than any winner of the Preakness, which is run at the same distance.
It was Hancock's affinity for country music that gave the Preakness winner his name.
Pine Bluff, the winner of the Preakness, was injured and retired.
Snow Chief, the 1986 Preakness winner, finished a well-beaten fifth.
That leaves Red Bullet, the 2000 Preakness winner, as the 3-to-1 favorite.
Both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners did not run in the race.
Summer Squall, the Preakness winner, is unlikely to race before September.
The Preakness winner had a fever for a brief time, but Lukas took no chances and scratched him.
He could become the first Derby and Preakness winner to go off at odds of higher than 7-5 in the Belmont.
There was no showdown between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners.