Belmont Park

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-BEL, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6fT, post time: 4:19 p.m. ET CROWDING OUT (Street Boss), a $55K in utero purchase at Keeneland November in 2017, fetched $37K as a KEESEP yearling in 2019, but blossomed into a $230K OBS April breezer after working an eighth of a mile in a slick :9 4/5. That price was the second most expensive of this sire's 20 juveniles sold last year. The chestnut's dam Pride of Place (A.P. Indy)--who sadly passed away in 2020--is a daughter of French...

Following the issuance of detailed racetrack health and safety protocols by New York State, Belmont Park will re-open to a limited number of spectators Saturday, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday. Spectators must purchase track admission in advance and adhere to strict health and safety protocols designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. "NYRA has been working collectively toward this goal since the start of the pandemic and we are thrilled to be able to welcome fans back to Belmont Park," said NYRA President & CEO Dave O'Rourke. "We...

Several GI Kentucky Oaks-bound fillies put in their final major workouts Saturday morning leading up to Friday's Churchill Downs Classic. Leading the Churchill Downs worktab, Phoenix Thoroughbred's Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map), winner of the Mar. 27 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks in her most recent start, worked a half-mile in :49.20 under Danny Ramsey for trainer Kenny McPeek. "She had a breeze last week in :59, which was a bullet work," McPeek said. "So today I just went a half with her, something simple, again just a basic maintenance work. She's...

1st-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 4-24, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:23.56, ft, 3/4 length. FIRST CAPTAIN (c, 3, Curlin--America {GSW & MGISP, $580,532}, by A.P. Indy) re-rallied late to kick his career off with a promising victory in the Belmont opener Saturday. The $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga '19 co-topper and first foal out of GSW and MGISP America was let go at 3-1 off a 9-5 morning line here for the typically patient Shug McGaughey. He broke cleanly enough, and moved up to track from the pocket behind favored fellow firster Mahaamel (Into Mischief)--a $700,000...

The morning after a fire in barn 60 at Belmont Park which claimed the lives of two of his horses, trainer Wayne Potts made an emotional post on Facebook identifying the two horses as graded stakes winner American Sailor (City Zip) and Beastie D (Verrazano) an unraced 3-year-old who was a $15,000 OBS Winter Mixed Sale purchase earlier this year. The 9-year-old American Sailor won the GIII Troy S. at Saratoga, crossing the line second, but moved up to first upon the disqualification of Imprimis (Broken Vow). "I wanted to...

Edited Press Release FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association, Inc. have announced an expanded partnership agreement that establishes FOX Sports as the official wagering partner of NYRA Bets and the leading media provider for elite Thoroughbred racing through the next decade. The prior FOX Sports/NYRA media rights agreement provided a FOX Sports subsidiary with an option to acquire a 25% stake in NYRA Bets, LLC, a leading Advance Deposit Wagering platform launched in 2016 and available to customers in 30 states across the country. The FOX Sports subsidiary...

The New York Racing Association issued a statement Wednesday regarding it ongoing efforts to welcome fans back for the upcoming Belmont Park and Saratoga Racecourse meets. Horse and auto racing were omitted from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's guidance last week relating to reopening sporting events to the public in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. "Governor Cuomo's decision to expand capacity limits for sports fans beginning this April is incredibly positive news as we look toward the spring and summer," said NYRA's Pat McKEnna. "NYRA will work closely with...

The upcoming 48-day spring/summer meeting at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, will offer the richest overnight purse structure in the history of the New York Racing Association, the organization said Thursday. Open-company maiden allowance races will feature purse money of $90,000, while first-, second- and third-level allowance races will be worth $92,000, $94,000 and $96,000, respectively. New York maiden special weight races will carry prize money of $75,000, while horses bred in the Empire State will benefit from an $85,000 purse for non-winners of two/ $45,000 claiming and an...

The Under 20's Claiming Challenge, which allows smaller stables the chance to compete for cash prizes, will return to Belmont Park for the spring/summer meet. The program, launched in 2018, is open to all trainers stabled at New York Racing Association facilities with 20 or fewer horses in their care nationwide. The top eight trainers in the contest will share a prize pool of $80,000, with the winner receiving $16,000. Stall allotments for the Belmont spring/summer will be used to determine eligible trainers. Trainers earn points based on their horses'...

The stakes schedule for the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet will feature 59 total stakes races worth $16.95 million in purses. The spring/summer meet will begin Thursday, Apr. 22 and continue through Sunday, July 11. On Feb. 10, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that live sports and entertainment venues will be permitted to re-open to a limited number of spectators beginning Feb. 23. In order for qualifying venues to re-open, those sites must gain New York State Department of Health approval and limit the number of spectators to...

Total handle on the 157 race days held at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course meets in 2020 was $1,813,935,091, the New York Racing Association announced Sunday. The average daily handle of $11,553,727 was a 19% increase over 2019. Since New York racing resumed June 3 through the end of 2020, all-sources handle totaled $1,586,344,888, a $7,059,402 increase over the same period in 2019. Average daily handle from June 3 through the end of 2020 was $13,443,601, marking a 16% increase over the same period in 2019. With...

Chad Brown earned his ninth consecutive leading trainer title at the Belmont Park Fall Meet, which concluded Sunday. Brown won 22 races during the 27-day stand. Jose Ortiz won 40 races to take the leading rider title for the first time. "I'm just happy I can go out there and do what I love the most and be successful. I work very hard for it and I'm happy to be getting good opportunities," Ortiz said. "It means a lot. Belmont is a great place to race and I think it's...