Belmont Diaries: Super Saturday

Super Saturday at Belmont Park, the racetrack nestled just outside of New York City, is one of my favorite racing days of the fall calendar. The afternoon is basically a sneak preview of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships that will take place at the end of the month, and I had been anticipating the day for a while. Why is Super Saturday a preview of the Breeders’ Cup, you may ask? 

Five races on the program on Saturday at Belmont were Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In races. That means that the victor in each event earns a berth and an all-expenses-paid trip to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. to compete in their division of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. It’s elite horse racing at its finest, and I couldn’t wait to get myself to Belmont to witness some fantastic competition.
What no one had planned on, of course, was that a hurricane decided to ravage the eastern half of the U.S. this weekend. Fortunately, we were spared the worst of Joaquin’s wrath on Saturday, but the weather could definitely be described as blustery. Not to worry, though! Armed with a sturdy pair of boots and my new favorite Woodbine hat, I made my way to Penn Station on Saturday morning to hop the train to Belmont Park.

Rocking my favorite @WoodbineRacing hat for a blustery #JCGC day at Belmont! pic.twitter.com/LpcKVhKkCW
— Penelope P. Miller (@PenelopePMiller) October 3, 2015

A short commute later, the train pulled into the Belmont Park station, and I was welcomed to the track by a glorious sight: a line of food trucks just off of the Grandstand entrance. I knew what I was having the second I saw the very first truck, Corazon de Cuba: ropa vieja. This Cuban delicacy has been a favorite of mine since childhood, and I got a giant serving of the succulent pulled beef with black beans and rice for a mere $10 – score!

It was the perfect lunch for a chilly fall day, and you better believe I ate every bite of it!
After savoring my lunch, it was time to hustle out to the paddock for the first major race of the afternoon: the Kelso Handicap. This race is a one mile test for horses three years of age and up, and I was so excited to see one Thoroughbred in particular: Honor Code. He’s been a force in horse racing this year, scoring victories in the Metropolitan Mile as well as the Whitney Handicap, which means Honor Code is qualified for two Breeders’ Cup races: the Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.  
This strikingly handsome horse has a major following, of which I am proud to count myself as a member. In fact, my friend and talented photographer Eric Kalet spotted Honor Code’s blanket on a bench in the paddock, and we knew what had to happen: selfie time! Eric, Sue Kawczynski and I try to take one every time we’re at Belmont together, and this was the perfect opportunity for our best selfie yet. 

Definitely my favorite!
We returned the blanket to its place just in time for the horses to arrive in the paddock, and all eyes (and lenses) were trained on Honor Code. He seemed to relish the attention, posing alertly for the throng of photographers clustered around him.

It wasn’t until the horses emerged onto the track to warm up for the Kelso that I realized just how wet the track really was; the mud was incredibly deep, and that’s when I realized that Honor Code wasn’t going to have an easy time of it and that this race was anyone’s to win.  

And indeed, Honor Code ran a valiant race but came in third, with a game – and very clean! – Appealing Tale splashing to an easy victory.  

The very next race, the Flower Bowl, was the first Win and You’re In event of the afternoon; the winner of this event would earn a place in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on October 31. I was very excited to see Stephanie’s Kitten, because I have long been an admirer of her ability on the track as well as of her gloriously long ears. 

I was also excited to see how celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s filly America would fare. 

And I was certainly intrigued by the presence of European invader Curvy, who had a lot of buzz coming into the race.

After a mile and a quarter over a wet turf course, Stephanie’s Kitten bested the rest to win the Flower Bowl and secure her place in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

The next two races were a pair of competitions for 2-year-olds: one for the girls (the Frizette) and one for the boys (the Champagne.) I love 2-year-old races, because you never know when you’re going to see another superstar emerge.
The first of the two baby races was the Frizette, and as the fillies paraded to the post I was so impressed by the beauty and athleticism of each contender. 

Nickname may be on the path to greatness, because she won the Frizette with ease, skipping over the track to earn her spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Then it was time for the Champagne: the standout horse, looks-wise, to me was Magna Light. He has the presence and physical stature of a much older horse, and I am excited to follow his career as it progresses. 

Ralis, one of the favorites in the race, seemed a little jumpy in the paddock; at one point, he shied at another horse and reared up in the air before calming down with the help in the form of a few soothing words from his groom. 

The one horse I clearly didn’t pay nearly enough attention to was Greenpointcrusader, because this colt overcame a terrible start to power to an impressive victory and a trip to the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

His owners were so thrilled – I spotted several puppy piles of people hugging in the box seat area as they made their way to the Belmont winner’s circle.

Jockey Joe Bravo was just as ecstatic, and I love that the first thing he did as he returned after his win was to make sure that he gave Greenpointcursader lots of ear rubs.

I also love that he gave photographers double thumbs-up! Joe was having an absolute blast with his win, which is always so much fun to see.  

The final Win and You’re In race of the day was also the most anticipated event: the Jockey Club Gold Cup. An incredibly historic race, the Jockey Club Gold Cup has been won by such unforgettable horses as Man o’ War, Gallant Fox, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Citation, Kelso, John Henry, Cigar, and so many others. Along with the stunning trophy and the lion’s share of the $1-million purse, the winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup earns a place in the Breeders’ Cup Classic; so anticipation was running high as the Thoroughbreds paraded in the paddock before the afternoon’s biggest race.  

Tonalist won last year’s edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and was looking for a return to the winner’s circle after a series of second- and third-place finishes.  

Wicked Strong, always a fan favorite, looked powerful in the paddock as he paraded for fans.  

Would the winner be Coach Inge, who was coming off of a second-place finish in the Woodward Stakes? After all, he had never finished worse than third on a muddy track.

Or would Effinex score his fourth win of 2015 in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on his way to the Breeders’ Cup Classic?

As the horses made their way to the starting gate, bolder fans braved the brisk fall weather to get a close-up view of some of the nation’s top Thoroughbreds in Belmont’s biggest fall race.

And they were treated to quite a show: Tonalist hit a career high note when he splashed home to an impressive second victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup under a perfect ride from jockey John Velazquez.

When he returned to the winner’s circle, trainer Christophe Clement’s ecstatic team escorted Tonalist to go get his victory photo taken.

It was the perfect way to end Super Saturday at Belmont, and I for one cannot wait to see how Tonalist fares in a Breeders’ Cup Classic that’s shaping up to be one of the strongest fields in the race’s illustrious history. He’ll be facing Triple Crown sensation American Pharoah, mega mare Beholder, the late-charging Honor Code, the speedy Liam’s Map, and a whole slew of other contenders. Let me know who you’re rooting for in the comments, and thank you for joining me on this fantastic stop on the Road to the World Championships!