Belmont Diaries: Back in the New York Groove

Belmont Park always feels a little like home to me: located just outside of New York City, it’s an oasis from the crowded boroughs of Gotham and it’s one of my favorite places to spend an autumn afternoon as an escape from the chaos of urban life.

Friends I’ve brought to Belmont Park who’ve never been there before are always a little surprised that the place is, in fact, very park-like. The track has a massive backyard where fans can bring their own picnics (including beer!) and just spend a day under the massive trees enjoying a great day of racing in a bucolic setting.

So many people I talked to yesterday commented on how beautiful Belmont looks this fall, and I have to agree. Whoever is in charge of the landscaping there has done themselves proud, because the flowers are spectacular. I particularly loved the crimson ones that surrounded the iconic Secretariat statue in Belmont’s paddock, which is where horses are saddled before each race.

I wasn’t the only one to fall in love with those: I saw a lot of photos being taken in front of the landmark sculpture on Saturday!

I also ran into some wonderful people on Saturday at Belmont. My friend Kerry Duplessis was looking like his usual stylish self:

And I always love seeing Eric Kalet! He’s an amazingly talented photographer, a fantastic person, and he always brings Mini Count Trackula to big races with him.  

On Saturday, the Count got to hitch a ride on Secretariat, the lucky guy. 

He looks like he’s having the time of his life!  
I always love seeing people making friends with the pony horses between races. These animals are the quiet heroes of the racetrack, escorting the Thoroughbreds from the saddling paddock to the starting gate to make sure that the Thoroughbreds stay calm and safe before each race. This pony had found a very loyal friend who had brought carrots. The pair were clearly in love!

That’s the great thing about going to the races: the people you meet at the track are some of the most fun, interesting and outgoing folks in the world, and everyone’s always happy to see each other because you’re about to see some awesome Thoroughbreds compete. Plus it’s always fun to have someone to help you celebrate when you picked the winning horse!

After I’d wandered around the racetrack getting photos of the scene at Belmont Park on Saturday, it was time for the first big race of the afternoon: the Beldame Stakes. This race, a 1 1/8-mile test for fillies and mares (aka female horses) three years old and up, has an incredibly rich history and a major trophy to go along with its $400,000 purse.

Six beautiful Thoroughbreds paraded in the paddock in the minutes leading up to the race, each attended to by an entourage of grooms, trainers, owners and a jockey.

When the fillies and mares left the paddock to warm up on the track before the Beldame, fans lined the fence next to the oval to get the best view of the horses as they sprinted for the finish line.  

Those fans were in for a treat, because Wedding Toast was dominant in the Beldame, winning the race with ease. She’s likely to be one of the favorites in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff at the World Championships on Oct. 30 at Keeneland, and it was easy to see why after that impressive victory. 

She’s a lovely mare, and she seemed quite pleased with herself as she returned to the winner’s circle to get her photo taken.

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay was in the winner’s circle to present the Beldame trophy to Wedding Toast’s human connections, which was very cool to see! 

Fun anecdote: I was standing next to Bobby Flay in the paddock before his next race and noticed a piece of paper flutter from his pocket. I let him know that he dropped it, and I’m so glad that I did, since it turned out to be a pretty significant winning wager! That was my good deed for the week.  
The next big race was the Gallant Bloom, which is a 6 1/2 furlong sprint (a furlong is an eighth of a mile, so it’s just a little over a 3/4 mile race) for fillies and mares three years old and up. This race’s finish was a little closer, but La Verdad impressed with her victory over Wavell Avenue to capture the Gallant Bloom.

Her owner Sheila Rosenblum gave La Verdad a huge kiss before leading her mare to the winner’s circle.

Up next was the Pilgrim Stakes, which is a turf test for 2-year-olds that serves as a good prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Oct. 30. Isotherm took this one in a gutsy win over Azar and Ray’s The Bar in a blanket finish.

Then it was time for the biggest races of the afternoon, the Vosburgh Stakes and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Both of these events would earn their winners an all-expense paid trip to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships next month so a lot was on the line.
The Vosburgh is a six furlong dash, and seven strong sprinters were lined up for a chance at fame, glory, and a berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Palace has always been a favorite of mine; not only is he an accomplished racehorse, but he’s also quite the looker.

Wildcat Red is the darling of the internet. His fans have loved him since his bid to win the 2014 Kentucky Derby, and he’s always easy to pick out in his signature saffron yellow bridle.

The horse to beat was definitely Rock Fall, who’d won his last six races in a row.

And he made it seven with his romp in the Vosburgh, securing his position in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Oct. 31.

The final major event of Belmont’s day was the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Named for one of the sport’s best writers, the Joe Hirsch is a Win and You’re In race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf on October 31. A stellar group of seven horses was lined up to compete over the 1 1/2 mile distance, and I had no idea who was going to win. United Nations Stakes winner Big Blue Kitten has been a force to be reckoned with all year:

Twilight Eclipse is everyone’s favorite Cinderella story. Purchased for just $1,000, the gutsy gelding has earned over $1.7 million in his career.

Slumber had already put in a big win at Belmont Park this year when he took home the Manhattan Stakes back in June.  

After a turn or two around the paddock, the jockeys mounted their horses and headed to the starting gate for the Joe Hirsch. Moments later, the gate sprung open and Shining Copper led the field by open lengths down the stretch for the first time under the setting autumn sun.  

But on the next lap around, it was Big Blue Kitten who powered past Slumber and Twilight Eclipse to take home the victory in the Joe Hirsch in track record-setting time.

Jockey Joe Bravo raised his crop in the air after the wire, celebrating his impressive win.

As Big Blue Kitten returned to the winner’s circle, Bravo had a huge smile on his face, as did all of the impressive horse’s connections. After all, they’re heading into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf as one of the favorites – always a good feeling going into a $3 million race!

Thank you so much for joining me for my Belmont adventures, and I’ll be back next weekend with even more Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In action! Who gave your favorite performance on Saturday at Belmont? Please let me know in the comments!