Belmont Park

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law (Constitution), last-out winner of the GI Florida Derby, tuned up for the June 20 GI Belmont S. with a five-furlong work in :59.75 (1/5) at Palm Meadows Sunday. "He's doing fine. He had a nice work," said trainer Barclay Tagg. "I sent a little filly here ahead of him so he had something to look at, and he caught her going down the stretch. I'll probably breeze him here next Sunday before we head back to New York." Tiz the Law won last year's GI...

To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you can't always get what you want. But sometimes, you get what you need. That might end up being the case regarding the retooled GI Belmont S. announced last week by the New York Racing Association (NYRA). For its 2020 running, COVID-19 has transformed the $1.5-million, 12-furlong "Test of Champions" concluding leg of the Triple Crown into a one-turn, nine-furlong prep for the other two Classics with two-thirds its original purse. The revised Belmont S. will be run June 20 in a spectator-free Belmont Park...

As the racing world mostly returned to order last week with the reopening of Santa Anita and Churchill and dates for two-thirds of the rescheduled Triple Crown being locked in, eyes turned to the New York Racing Association. Located in the epicenter of the world's coronavirus pandemic, NYRA hasn't run a race card since Mar. 15 at Aqueduct, and has remained in limbo like much of the state as the virus peaked, then slowly--painfully slowly--retreated. But with Governor Andrew Cuomo's proclamation that racing could resume in New York beginning June...

Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), an Eclipse Award finalist for champion 3-year-old male in 2019, is targeting the GIII Westchester S. for his return on opening weekend at Belmont Park June 6. The dominating GI Runhappy Travers S. hero has post five workouts at Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey's Payson Park base in Florida this spring dating back to mid-April. He is currently in training with McGaughey at Belmont Park. "He went five-eighths in 1:01 and change the other day [at Payson May 17]," McGaughey said. "He was a...

In addition to the news about the GI Belmont S. and stakes schedule at the upcoming Belmont meet, the New York Racing Association announced new safety initiatives and entry rule changes for the 25-day meet. Among them are new rules for horses coming off of long layoffs and horses making belated career debuts. Horses which have not started in more than 180 days, but fewer than 365 days, will be placed on the Veterinarians' List and must be presented to the NYRA Veterinarian prior to racing, while horses which have...

Belmont will reopen June 3 for a 25-day meet with a stakes schedule that includes a number of purse cuts and the cancellation of several stakes traditionally run in the spring at the NYRA tracks. Spectators will not be allowed to attend the races throughout the spring season at Belmont. Following the opening week, racing will be held Thursdays through Sundays with closing day scheduled for July 12. "The resumption of live racing at Belmont Park June 3, with all appropriate health and safety protocols in place, will support the...

What has traditionally been the final leg of the Triple Crown will now be the first. The GI Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 at the distance of a mile and an eighth, NYRA announced Tuesday. In a year where the coronavirus has caused tracks across the country to scramble and adjust their racing calendars and stakes schedules, the Triple Crown, in order, will now consist of the June 20 Belmont, the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5 and the GI Preakness Oct. 3. "The Belmont Stakes is a New...

The sale of new t-shirts with the slogans "Belmont Tough" and "Saratoga Tough" will be used to raise funds for the New York Racing Association backstretch community during the COVID-19 pandemic. NYRA will donate all net proceeds from t-shirt sales in equal allotments to three non-profit organizations which serve the Belmont Park backstretch community: the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA); the Backstretch Employee Service Team of New York (B.E.S.T.); and the New York Race Track Chaplaincy of America (NYRTCA). "The backstretch workers are the unsung heroes of our sport," said...

Legal challenges filed last autumn by the Village of Floral Park to try and halt construction of a $1.3-billion hockey arena, hotel, and retail project adjacent to Belmont Park have been tossed out by a New York State Supreme Court judge. The two state agencies that green-lighted the project--the Empire State Urban Development Corporation and the New York State Franchise Oversight Board--were defendants in the lawsuit. The initial lawsuit cited an allegedly flawed bidding process and "secret master plan" for the arena's development that was allegedly floated by the New...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. has partnered with Northwell Health to secure important COVID-19 antibody testing for NYRA employees and backstretch workers at Belmont Park. "We would like to thank Northwell Health for their commitment to expanding the availability of antibody testing across New York and right here at Belmont Park," said NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke. "This broad testing program will provide additional insight allowing us to to more fully understand how COVID-19 has impacted our community. Going forward, this is a positive step in NYRA's overall...

While still awaiting word from Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding when it can resume racing, NYRA has submitted a comprehensive plan to the state and the New York Gaming Commission outlining the steps it is taking to maintain a safe environment for those who must be on hand to conduct racing. The timetable for a resumption of racing at Belmont Park may also hinge on a region-by-region approach to opening the state announced by Cuomo Monday. The Governor's office has divided the state into 10 regions and said each one can...

The American Triple Crown is among a never-ending string of sporting fixtures that have been upended as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. Churchill Downs addressed the issue first, announcing that the 2020 renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby will be presented Sept. 5, while the Maryland Jockey Club followed, announcing the GI Preakness S. would also be rescheduled, although an official date has yet to be announced for the Triple Crown's second jewel despite reports of an October running. NYRA has yet to confirm a date for the...