|
|
Location: Belmont Park in Elmont, NY
Track: 1.5 mile dirt track
Date: June 7, 2008. |
2008 Belmont Stakes @ Belmont Park
America's Triple Crown horse racing season is almost over. In two weeks racing fans will bet and cheer for the
2008 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The nation's oldest thoroughbred race will run on
June 7, 2008.
It's the 139th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, one of the oldest thoroughbred
races in North America. Belmont Park is home of the Belmont Stakes, the final jewel of the Triple Crown races.
The park has the largest dirt racecourse of any thoroughbred track not only in North America but the world at
a mile and a half (2414 m).
Winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes often make for some intense rematches between the
horse racing's top contenders - a level of competition that makes for even greater viewing for horse racing fans
in attendance or for those watching it on television.
|
Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, is considered one of the elite race tracks in the sport of thoroughbred
horse racing. In addition to the Belmont Stakes, other major races contested on the dirt at the track
include the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Woodward Stakes, the Suburban Handicap, and the Memorial Day standby
- the Metropolitan Handicap, also known as the Met Mile. Notable turf (grass) races include the
Bowling Green Handicap, Man o'War Stakes, and Turf Classic. |
|
Belmont Park was closed for replacement
of its unsafe grandstand and clubhouse structure from 1963 until May of 1968, during which the
Belmont race meetings were moved to Aqueduct Racetrack at South Ozone Park in Queens.
Spanning 430 acres situated just outside New York City, in the adjacent Nassau County suburb of Elmont,
the Belmont Park race track is world-famous as the home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of
the Triple Crown.
|
First opened May 4, 1905, Belmont has the largest dirt acecourse of any thoroughbred race track in the world as well as the largest grandstand. Both the Belmont Park and Belmont Stakes were named after financier and sportsman August Belmont, Sr. Belmont Park features the Main Track, or the dirt racecourse, which has a circumference of 1½ miles, Widener Turf Course at 1 5/16 miles and 27 feet, and
Inner Turf Course at 1 3/16 miles plus 103 feet. With an attendance capacity of 85,000 to 100,000 - the largest in horse racing, Belmont Park has a total seating capacity of 32,941 and parking capacity of 18,500 cars. Post time is at 1 pm daily, and parking gates open at 10:45 am daily. |
|
2007 Belmont Stakes Contenders
There won't be a Triple Crown winner this year and it looks like Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense will be absent, but Preakness winner and Derby third Curlin will again take on Derby runner-up and Preakness third Hard Spun.
Here is the latest list of horses planning to start in the Preakness. Expect changes as more decisions about going are made by trainers.
Horse, Trainer, Dosage, Jockey
|
Chelokee, Michael Matz 3.57 Ramon Dominguez |
Curlin, Steve Asmussen 4.00 Robby Albarado |
Great Hunter, Doug O'Neill 3.00 * Corey Nakatani |
Hard Spun, Larry Jones 2.67 Mario Pino |
Imawildandcrazyguy, William Kaplan 6.00 Mark Guidry |
Nobiz Like Shobiz, Barclay Tagg 1.44 * Cornelio Velasquez |
Rags to Riches, Todd Pletcher 3.57 Ramon Dominguez |
Sightseeing, Shug McGaughey 3.57 Ramon Dominguez |
Slew's Tizzy, Gregory Fox 3.57 Robby Albarado |
Tiago John, Shirreffs 1.91 Mike Smith |
Unlikely
Street Sense, Carl Nafzger 2.14 * Calvin Borel
2007 Belmont Stakes Results
More than seven years after he competed in his first Kentucky Derby with Trippi, More Than Ready and Impeachment in May of 2000, perennial champion trainer Todd Pletcher finally got his first Triple Crown victory, ending a much publicized and often-talked-about 0-for-28 record in the classics.
| BELMONT PARK, Saturday June 09, 2007 - Race 11 |
| Belmont S. - Grade: 1 |
| Purse: $1,000,000 |
| Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/2M, Dirt, 3 Year Olds, STAKES |
| Winning Time:2:28.74 |
|
| 7 |
Rags to Riches |
John R. Velazquez |
10.60 |
4.40 |
3.20 |
| 3 |
Curlin |
Robby Albarado |
|
3.00 |
2.30 |
| 2 |
Tiago |
Mike E. Smith |
|
|
3.70 |
|
Belmont Stakes Champion Sires
|
A total of eleven Belmont Stakes winners have sired at least one other Belmont winner.
Man o' War heads the list of Belmont champion sires. Not only did he win the race himself in
1920, but three of his subsequent sires won it as well: American Flag in 1925, Crusader in 1926 and War Admiral in 1937, who went on to win the Triple Crown.
Commando won the 1901 running, then sired Peter Pan, the 1907 champ and the Colin, the 1908 winner. 1930 champion Gallant Fox sired both Omaha (1935) and Granville (1936). |
|
Count Fleet won the 1943 edition, and then sired back-to-back Belmont winners with Counterpoint
(1951) and One Count (1952).
1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew sired a Call To The Derby Post favorite in Swale, who won
both the Derby and the Belmont in 1984, as well as A.P. Indy, who won the Belmont in 1992.
1999 Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid is also a descendant of the Slew.
The following horses have sired one Belmont winner each: Duke of Magenta of 1878 sired Eric (1889);
Spendthrift of 1879 sired Hastings (1896); Hastings then followed his again by siring Masterman,
the 1902 winner. The Finn of 1915 sired Zev (1923); Sword Dancer of 1959 sired Damascus (1967);
last but not least, Triple Crown winner Secretariat of 1973 sired Risen Star, the 1988 winner.
|
Belmont Park Race Track
The fastest horse ever recorded in Belmont history is Secretariat who set a world-record that still stands for the
mile and a half distance on a dirt track at 2:24.(He had finished a mile and a quarter at 1:59, faster than
his own Derby record of 1:59 2/5.)
Don't miss our FREE Belmont racing picks, Belmont betting tips, Belmont odds and latest Belmont news,
Belmont race entries, and contenders' profiles, Belmont race analysis, and Belmont odds from Sportbet.com offers Belmont Stake Odds, Betting Lines and race information.
Belmont Stakes betting
has never been easier, whether you want to bet a horse straight to win or in an exacta bet.
Bet on Belmont Stakes futures and proposition bets, too. Choose a extra Box or just bet on the Ponies
straight to win.
Check out our incredible Belmont Stake Bonuses too!!
Get into the Belmont stakes betting action and place a bet on one of the many horses betting options at sportbet.com
Belmont Stakes Betting Results Click Here!
|
|
