Brown, Ortiz Take Belmont Festival Titles
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Trainer Chad Brown at the Post Position draw on May 4, 2016.
Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Godolphin Racing took top honors in the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Championship for best overall performance by a trainer, jockey, and owner, respectively, during the three-day event at Belmont Park.
The competition, based on a 5-3-2-1 point basis, began with the first race June 9 and continued through the 12th race on Belmont Stakes Day, June 11, one race after Creator surged to a narrow victory over Destin in the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (gr. I). The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival featured 19 stakes races and nearly $10 million in total purses.
BALAN: Creator Edges Destin to Take Belmont
The category for the "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons Award for Outstanding Trainer went to Brown, NYRA's top conditioner of 2015, atop the leaderboard with 24 points. Among Brown's major victories over the three-day span were Flintshire's win in the $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan (gr. IT), Economic Model's win in the $150,000 Easy Goer, Zindaya's triumph in the $150,000 Intercontinental and a 1-2-3 finish in the $500,000 New York (gr. IIIT) with Dacita, Sea Calisi, and Guapaza.
BALAN: Brown Runs 1-2-3 in New York Stakes
Capped by his outstanding ride aboard Creator in the Belmont, Ortiz again took top honors among jockeys with 35 points to win his second Eddie Arcaro Award. He also was aboard Kareena for her victory in the $150,000 Jersey Girl and piloted Dacita to win the New York.
Earning the August Belmont II trophy was Godolphin Racing with 14 points, highlighted by Frosted's runaway victory in the $1.5 million Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Kareena's win in the Jersey Girl.
ANGST: Frosted Dusts Met Mile Competition
Custom-designed Tiffany & Co. sterling silver trophies for the winners are named after August Belmont II, the builder of Belmont Park and winner of three Belmont Stakes; James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, who trained six Belmont Stakes winners, including Triple Crown victors Gallant Fox and Omaha; and Eddie Arcaro, a two-time Triple Crown winner with Whirlaway and Citation, who also picked up victories in four other editions of the Belmont Stakes, aboard Shut Out, Pavot, One Count, and Nashua.