Racing returns to Belmont

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Belmont Park’s 54-day Spring/Summer Meet got under way last Friday, with Miroc winning the historic track’s first race of 2016, taking a six furlong dirt event in ideal conditions by more than two lengths with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard.

Miroc broke quickly and led wire-to-wire in the New York State-bred Maiden Claiming race with a purse of $32,000. He paid $4.90 to win. El Genio finished second, and Game of Stones was third.

“Mr. [Robert] Barbera told me the horse was ready and he ran strong right out of the gate,” Ortiz said. “I know he likes to run on the lead, and he made it look easy.”

There was great anticipation for racing’s return to Belmont, recently hired NYRA Director of Communications and Public Affairs Pat McKenna said. “It’s an exciting time of year,” he said. “We’re looking forward to continuing the momentum from last year.”

Two of the biggest days in North American racing anchor the meet, with the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 11 the centerpiece of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and Stars & Stripes Day.

The Racing Festival, with 19 stakes worth nearly $10 million, features the “Test of the Champion.” The coveted final jewel of racing's Triple Crown, the 1 ½-mile Belmont, won in history making fashion a year ago by American Pharoah before a capped crowd of 90,000, will be supported by eight additional graded stakes including the $1 million Manhattan at 1 ¼ miles on the turf, the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap at a mile and the $1 million Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles. The $700,000 Longines Just a Game for turf fillies and mares and the $700,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies complete a quintet of prestigious Grade 1 races on the day.

Also on June 11 will be the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs; the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational for 4-year-olds and up going 1 ½ miles; the Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational for turf sprinters 4-years-old and up, and the $150,000, 1 1/16-mile Easy Goer for sophomores.

With the Belmont Stakes Draw scheduled on Wednesday, June 8 at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will kick off the following afternoon with the $150,000 Intercontinental for turf fillies and mares going seven furlongs, the $200,000 Astoria for 2-year-old fillies at 5 ½ furlongs and the inaugural edition of the $200,000 Belmont Coronation Invitational for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going 1 15/16 miles on the turf.

The BSRF continues on Friday, June 10 with six more stakes, topped by the Grade 2 New York for turf fillies and mares at 1 ¼ miles, which boasts a purse increase to $500,000, and the Grade 2, $250,000 True North for older sprinters. Supporting the graded stakes are the $300,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational at two miles on the turf, the $150,000 Rags to Riches Invitational for older fillies and mares going 1 ½ miles, the $200,000 Tremont for 2-year-olds and the $150,000 Jersey Girl for 3-year-old filly sprinters.

The second must-see event of the meet will be the return of the popular Stars & Stripes Festival on Saturday, July 9. Launched in 2014, the internationally themed day will once again feature a pair of prestigious Grade 1 races on the turf for 3-year-olds in the $1.25 million Belmont Derby and the $1 million Belmont Oaks for fillies, both at 1 ¼ miles.

Four additional graded stakes round out the superlative card, comprising the Grade 3, $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship,  the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride for 3-year-old fillies going 6 ½ furlongs, the Grade 3, $500,000 Dwyer for 3-year-olds at a mile, and the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap at 1 ¼ miles.

“We continue to build out the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and look forward to expanding the international aspect of Stars & Stripes Day, which continues to grow in popularity among our horsemen and our fans,” said Martin Panza, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations.

The popular “Twilight” racing returns with "Party at the Park," taking place on four Fridays this summer — June 17, June 24, July 1 and July 8 —with a special first-race post time of 3:05 p.m.

With the exception of the twilight racing cards, Derby and Preakness Day, and the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the first race post time at Belmont generally will be 1:30 p.m. Admission is $5, excluding Stakes Day, when grandstand admission is $15 and clubhouse admission is $40.

Kentucky Derby Day
As the New York home of Triple Crown racing, Belmont Park will host a live simulcast of the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, May 7, complemented by a full day of live racing along with a wing and beer festival, family fun activities, and a Woodford Reserve bourbon tasting.

 

The Derby weekend celebrations will begin with the return of the ever-popular "Breakfast at Belmont" beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, as well as Mother's Day Sunday, where racing fans can enjoy breakfast in the Belmont Café while watching horses train on the main track. Held on select weekends throughout the spring/summer meet, "Breakfast at Belmont" will also be hosted Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 28 through Memorial Day, May 30; Father's Day Weekend, Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19; and Stars & Stripes Festival Weekend,Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10.

 

Derby Day will host the first of 29 graded stakes races of the much-revered meet, offering a trio of prestigious races: the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay and the Grade 3, $150,000 Fort Marcy, both on the turf, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Westchester, the traditional prep for the Met Mile on Belmont Stakes Day.

 

Also on Derby Day, students from area schools will be able to take advantage of Belmont's annual "College Day," offering an array of activities and prizes to college students with a valid student I.D.