Racing returns to Belmont Park

Before a driving rainstorm forced the delay of the remainder of the Belmont Park opening day card last Friday, Professor Snape, with jockey Manny Franco aboard, took the first race of 2019 in impressive fashion on a muddy track.

“Whenever I asked him to run, he responded,” said Franco, who sat a perfect trip behind pacesetter Equal The Score in the 6-furlong victory that saw T Loves A Fight complete the exacta. “The 2 horse broke so quick, I just let him go and waited to make my move,” Franco added.

The 48-day spring/summer meet runs through July 7 and features 59 stakes races worth $18.4 million. Live racing will air nationally on FS2 and regionally on MSG+ nearly every day of the meet.

New for 2019, the spring/summer twilight racing program will move to Thursdays beginning on May 9 and continuing with each subsequent Thursday in May followed by twilight cards on June 6 - Day 1 of the 2019 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival - June 13, and June 27. Twilight Thursdays will feature nine-race cards with a first post of 3:05 p.m.

The oldest and longest leg of racing’s vaunted Triple Crown will serve as the centerpiece of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, from June 6-8, that comprises 18 total stakes, featuring the 151st running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 8.

Bringing down the curtain on three days of world-class racing, Belmont Stakes Day will include eight Grade 1 races among nine graded stakes all leading up to “the Test of the Champion,” set to air live on NBC.

The spring/summer meet will also see the launch of the Turf Trinity and Turf Tiara as part of the inaugural Turf Triple Series, offering $5.25 million in purse money, for sophomores over three legs at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. The Turf Triple Series will showcase the best 3-year-old turf runners in the country, with the first legs slated for July 6 as part of the Stars & Stripes Festival to be broadcast live nationwide on NBC.

In May, Belmont Park becomes New York’s Triple Crown headquarters, hosting special events alongside live racing with the chance to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, and the Preakness on May 18.

In addition to a 12-race card this Saturday with a special first post of 12:50 p.m., Kentucky Derby Day at Belmont includes the return of the Bourbon Festival, which will be held at the North Shore Terrace from 3-7 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.bourbonatbelmont.com.

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 Park will be 1:30 p.m. General admission to Belmont Park is $5 every day except Belmont Stakes Day. Fans can purchase general admission tickets to Belmont Stakes day for just $15 through April 30.

Always a fan favorite, ‘Breakfast at Belmont’ will return on the Saturday and Sunday of Mother’s Day weekend May 11-12. Racing fans can enjoy breakfast in the Belmont Café while watching horses train on the main track, beginning at 8 a.m. on select days throughout the spring/summer meet. Admission to the ‘Breakfast at Belmont’ buffet is $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under 6 years of age.