Belmont Park

Saratoga Race Course's jockey safety protocols and travel restrictions that were established July 14 will remain in place throughout the end of the meeting. It was announced earlier Friday morning that Churchill Downs will be requiring that all jockeys be in the state by Aug. 31 who will be riding in the GI Kentucky Derby. "The NYRA policy instituted on July 14 to address jockey travel and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 will remain in place through the end of the 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course," Pat McKenna,...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though he is quick to dismiss any talk that he might win the trainer's title at Saratoga Race Course, veteran Christophe Clement acknowledges that most everything has gone very well for his stable in the first half of the season. Entering Wednesday's card, the midway point of the 40-day meet, Clement was second, two wins behind Todd Pletcher, in the competitive standings with 15 victories, matching his career-best at the Spa in 2015. He already has a personal-best six stakes wins. The Clement runners top the...

According to a Newsday story, a 2-year-old filly let out of her stall Thursday at Belmont Park by a former employee resulted in a fall that led to the filly's death. The former employee, identified by the Nassau County Police Department as Ramzan Antooa, 38, of Elmont, had been spotted at approximately 7:45 p.m. by Belmont's security personnel releasing the filly, the paper said. He was arrested at the scene and charged with burglary and reckless endangerment of property. Newsday quoted New York's Gaming Commission's database as stating the horse...

Belmont Park's abbreviated Spring/Summer Meet generated $15,466,198 in average daily handle from all sources, a 42% increase over the 2019 spring/summer meet. Held over 25 days and without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live meet marked the return of professional sports to the New York area and was conducted with strict health and safety protocols in place. "We would like to thank the horseplayers for their enthusiastic support of New York racing during this most unusual spring/ summer meet," said NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. "That we...

Chad Brown notched 23 wins to finish as the leading trainer at the Belmont spring/summer meet for the fifth consecutive time and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. posted 34 victories to lead all riders as the 25-day meet concluded Sunday at Belmont Park. Klaravich Stables led all owners with 13 wins, outpacing second-place finisher Michael Dubb, who had seven victories. "I'm really proud of our team. We had a late start to the year and it was frustrating for everybody--the staff, the owners, everybody involved," Brown said. "Our team held it...

The running of the GII Ruffian S. Saturday at Belmont lacked the sizzle that was part of the narrative for several other major races over the weekend, but that wasn't the fault of Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). She did exactly what was asked of her. She showed up and beat four overmatched horses in an effort that was more perfunctory than impressive. "This was a nice race for her to come back into stakes competition and now we can tackle some bigger races and a tougher field, too," jockey Florent Geroux...

Champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) will face four overmatched rivals in her return to graded competition in Saturday's GII Ruffian S. at Belmont Park. After missing her entire 4-year-old season due to several different setbacks, the Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables colorbearer made her first start since capturing the 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff a winning one, annexing an optional claimer in impressive fashion in the Churchill Downs slop May 16. Monomoy Girl, winner of the 2018 GI Kentucky Oaks, is a perfect three-for-three at the...

ALDA (Munnings) became the newest 'TDN Rising Star' Thursday with a decisive score at Belmont Park. Rallying to be third on debut in a five-panel event at this oval June 12, she was hammered down to even-money to improve over an extra furlong here. Saving ground in a joint third, the homebred was several lengths off the dueling leaders through a sharp first quarter in :21.89. Closing the gap entering the backstretch, the homebred split horses with a three-wide move turning for home and overtook Illegal Smile (Ire) (Camacho {GB})...

1st-BEL, $64K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:15 p.m. Gary Barber's Frankel At Ascot (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) is one of several well-bred juveniles set to square off in this turf dash. The Mark Casse pupil was a €535,000 Arqana August yearling purchase by Justin Casse. She is out of stakes-winning juvenile Ascot Family (Ire), making her a half to precocious MGSW and GISP Family One (Fr) (Dubai Destination). The bay has fired a couple of bullets over the local dirt in preparation for this first go. Steal My Sunshine (Distorted Humor)...

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) exited his determined victory in Saturday's GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. in fine shape and could now be aimed at the Aug. 29 GI Forego S. at Saratoga, while connections also consider training the 4-year-old up to the Breeders' Cup. "What a horse," co-owner Randy Hill said Sunday. "I'll never own another horse like this. I've watched the race about 20 times and it just gives me goosebumps. I really wish I could have been there, but I'd rather win than be there and lose them." Vekoma...

One of the most welcome schedule changes imposed upon the racing calendar by the COVID-19 pandemic was the repositioning of the GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. to headline status on the July 4 holiday at Belmont Park. In 2014, the Met Mile got yanked off its decades-long anchor as the Memorial Day feature in New York, reassigned to a supporting role on GI Belmont S. Day. This move was part of the prevalent (but not always aesthetically pleasing) national practice of stacking graded stakes on big-race Saturdays. It never felt like...

On an afternoon when Joey Chestnut was devouring a record-setting 75 hot dogs not far away at Coney Island, trainer Chad Brown was making some history of his own at Belmont Park. OXO Equine LLC's Instilled Regard (Arch) came with a sudden burst of late energy to pip stablemate Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in Saturday's GI Manhattan S., giving the conditioner his record-equaling sixth victory in the 10-furlong grass feature, all since Desert Blanc (GB) (Desert Style {Ire}) provided him with his first in 2012. It was the...