Belmont Stakes
It was on the first Saturday in May, 2024 that Mystik Dan (Goldencents) ran the race of his life to win the GI Kentucky Derby by a nose over Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). One year and four starts later, he hasn't won again, but will hope to end the losing streak on the anniversary of his greatest triumph. On Saturday, Mystik Dan will take on seven others in the Lake Ouachita S. at Oaklawn Park. It will be his first start since he was beaten 20 3/4 lengths in the...
A Review, By Bill Finley Whether it was 60 Minutes, the FX Network, HBO or some other programs, the television media has bludgeoned the horse racing game in recent years. The great parts of this game barely get mentioned while the programs concentrate on the ugly aspects, namely breakdowns and drugs. So it was reasonable to be worried that more of the same was on its way when Netflix announced it was producing a racing documentary called 'Race For The Crown.' But this show, which includes six episodes, isn't like...
A special Belmont Stakes Racing Festival three-day admission pass is now available at nearly 200 Stewart's Shops throughout the greater Capital Region, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced in a press release Thursday. The pass includes general admission to Saratoga Race Course for three of the five days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival: Thursday, June 5, Friday, June 6, and Saturday June 7--Belmont Stakes Day, featuring the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown--for $99. The admission pass, which represents a savings of 15 percent based on individual...
Unraced since finishing second in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic, 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) is nearing his 4-year-old debut, which will most likely come in the May 4 GIII Westchester S. at Aqueduct. His comeback was put on temporary hold because he was turned out for 60 days after undergoing an elective surgical procedure on a hind ankle. He had his first published workout this year when breezing three furlongs in :36.23 Mar. 13 at Palm Beach Downs. "He's come back very well," trainer Todd Pletcher...
John Stewart's Resolute Racing has joined Horse Country and will begin offering tours of its Midway farm starting Mar. 25. Tours of Resolute Racing will be offered three days a week through the spring and will include everything from the foaling barn to Resolute's efforts in aftercare. Notable broodmares residing at the farm include two-time Eclipse champion Goodnight Olive; Puca, the dam of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage and GI Belmont Stakes Dornoch; Queen Caroline, the dam of Eclipse champion Forte; and Resolute's first Grade I winner Didia (Arg). Tours...
Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga will host a mid-winter fundraising event to support local veterans and retired racehorses--while celebrating 100 days until the Belmont Stakes returns to the upstate New York town--Feb. 27 at the Horseshoe Inn Bar and Grill. The evening of live music, dining, and charitable giving, will benefit the THS Freedom Rein program, with the organization aiming to raise $5,000 to sponsor four veterans or service members for an eight-week Equine Therapy Group. The Freedom Rein program provides therapeutic interactions with retired racehorses, offering participants a unique and...
Needless to say, Dornoch didn't look as shocked as Jayson Werth had felt when someone once said much the same to him. But somehow he got the message, because next day he went out there as a longshot and came back the winner of the GI Belmont Stakes. It had just been the two of them, in his stall, Werth literally giving the horse a pep talk. So he wanted to be a stallion, a lot of pretty mares lining up? Wanted to be somebody in this game? Well, here's...
The New York racing Association (NYRA) will host a job fair Thursday, Feb. 13 for individuals interested in employment opportunities during the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, the organization announced Friday afternoon. Running just one day from 2-7:00 p.m. at the 1863 Club at the racecourse, prospective workers will be able to meet with a variety of groups representing several staffing positions, including mutuel clerks, cashiers, merchandise clerks, customer service, and restaurant staff. Applicants should enter through the Wright Street entrance (gate eight), and must be at least...
Owner Mike Repole believes he might have the best 4-year-old in the country in his barn at the start of the new year, and that horse isn't necessarily Fierceness (City of Light). Mindframe (Constitution) has been out of sight, out of mind since finishing second in the July 20 GI Haskell S. at Monmouth. In his prior start, he was second in the GI Belmont S. While he didn't win either race, he overcame the fact that he had only two lifetime starts before the Belmont and was an inexperienced,...
If only Thomas Crown had been introduced to something like Centennial Farms, he might have spared himself a lot of trouble. As it was, the bored millionaire played by Steve McQueen in the 1968 classic sought his kicks from a bank heist, as an experiment in the perfect crime. And he instead confined his exposure to horses to the polo field. But that was where the fictional adrenaline junkie encountered a father and son who would subsequently provide their clients, in real life, with all the excitement they could need...
How did we get hooked on this sport? We all have stories about how our love affair developed and blossomed. The TDN will be reaching out to numerous notable people in the industry to get their stories to find out how they got hooked and stayed hooked on the sport. Richard Migliore My first memories of racing were watching the Channel 9 show every Saturday at 6 o'clock on WOR with Frank Wright, Charlsie Cantey, and Dave Johnson. I just got enamored with that show. No matter what I was...
Timelines for the massive-scaled, $455-million rebuild of Belmont Park were brought more clearly into focus Wednesday during a construction update presented by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) at a meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board (FOB). In chronological order: 1) Belmont's new one-mile Tapeta track could open for training as early as the spring of 2025. 2) NYRA is keeping open the option of running the 2026 GI Belmont Stakes back downstate at the new facility under a festival-meet scenario in which all four racing surfaces...