Belmont Stakes Meet is a Success as Golden Tempo repeats his Prior Effort Before Solid Racing Crowd
William G. Gotimer, Jr.
The recently concluded Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course was a success by every measure. Over five days, the weather cooperated to provide fans with a full slate of competitive high-quality racing that went off without incident or controversy. The condition of the race track was consistently conducive to both speed runners and fast times and a number of course records were equaled or approached on the main and turf courses.
The main event of the festival, the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes, was a fairly run, competitive race that saw Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo duplicate the effort that led him to victory on the first Saturday in May in Louisville, scoring another come from behind triumph. Allowed to proceed to the post at generous odds of 6-1, (due in part to the difficulty horses with a late-running, closing style had to succeed in the days leading up the Belmont), the combination of Golden Tempo and rider Jose Ortiz worked out a smooth trip to allow an obstacle-free run through the stretch to victory. In a nod to the relatively modern practice of partnership among established owners, Golden Tempo’s rider Jose Ortiz wore co-owner Vinny Viola’s green silks rather than the Phipps’ black silks worn in Kentucky. While the winner’s circle photos from the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes may sport different colored silks, the nose on the wire and smiles for the photos will look similar.
Golden Tempo
While there are still more three-year-old races to be run this year, the undeniable champion of the Triple Crown series is Golden Tempo. He is clearly the one most suited for long-distance running and his style of running bodes well for maintaining soundness and freshness. Having skipped the Preakness Stakes he will now be pointed to Saratoga’s Travers Stakes August 29th with a possible prep in the Jim Dandy Stakes four weeks earlier on August 1st. If all goes according to plan Saratoga fans will see this talented three-year-old run twice more this summer.
Book’em Danno
The undercard saw tremendous efforts from a host of stakes horses, but none so as impressive as New Jersey bred Book’em Danno‘s repeat victory in the True North. Expertly handled by his patient trainer Derek Ryan, the speedy and game gelding continues to show his affinity for the Saratoga Race Course and seems better now than ever. A return to Saratoga for the Forego Stakes on The Travers undercard on August 29th is the next objective.
Wagering
The mutuel handle for the five days, despite a New York Racing Association restriction on late-minute computer assisted wagering, was robust with racing in New York over those five days accounting for more than 70% of all wagers on horse racing in North America during the period. When simulcast wagering began approximately 40 years ago many people, including this writer, saw an inevitability of a “national card” which would dominate the wagering for the day. This five-day period furthers the trend of quality racing garnering most of the wagering dollars. When racing returns to Belmont Park and the Belmont Stakes is again run on Long Island, the New York Racing Association should seek to put on a comparable five day racing event, even if it means dark days both prior to and after the festival.
Belmont Crowd
The Triple Crown series of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont this year operated in stark contrast to each other all showing racing in a good light. This year’s Belmont Stakes crowd of more than 46,000 people, who turned out on a sunny day, was a dignified group of all ages worthy of a classic race. In contrast to recent Belmonts where people came to party or be seen, this crowd seemed far more interested in the racing and the challenge handicapping provides.
While the Kentucky Derby provided the usual large, star-studded crowds, and the Preakness was run before “a limited studio audience”, this year’s Belmont on-track attendance seemed the perfect mix of true racing fans and their friends. On the day there was minimal pomp and circumstance surrounding the event and a paucity of publicity seekers in the crowd. The crowd seemed to be both knowledgeable and interested in the racing and it harkened back to a day when the Belmont Stakes card was a serious and regal racing affair. I believe racing will be better for it. Kudos to all involved.