Belmont Stakes

Churchill Downs Racetrack released a preliminary list of races Tuesday that could be used for the extension of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve," pending agreeable race placement by the host tracks. The first race in the extended series, the $150,000 GIII Matt Winn S. May 23 at Churchill Downs, will have top four points raised from the previously announced 10-4-2-1to 50-20-10-5. "Based on measured interest from horsemen and limited racing opportunities for 3-year-olds across the country, the Matt Winn at the home of the Kentucky...

Keeneland Race Course will be seeking a short summer race meet after losing its spring season to COVID-19 closure. Yet management at the Lexington track is trying to be mindful that such a move would have a ripple effect not only on Ellis Park, which traditionally has the Kentucky circuit all to itself during that time frame, but also the horse populations and stakes programs at Saratoga and Del Mar, the bi-coastal heavyweights that dominate American racing in the mid-July through Labor Day window. "We're looking to run an abbreviated...

The American Triple Crown is among a never-ending string of sporting fixtures that have been upended as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. Churchill Downs addressed the issue first, announcing that the 2020 renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby will be presented Sept. 5, while the Maryland Jockey Club followed, announcing the GI Preakness S. would also be rescheduled, although an official date has yet to be announced for the Triple Crown's second jewel despite reports of an October running. NYRA has yet to confirm a date for the...

The 145th GI Preakness S. could be held Oct. 3, per a report by NBC affiliate WBAL TV. "The TV time is booked, and the 145th Preakness S. will be held Oct. 3 on NBC," the report read. The GI Kentucky Derby has been rescheduled for Sept. 5, while a date for the GI Belmont S. has yet to be announced. The Preakness S., originally scheduled for May 16, was postponed by the Maryland governor amid the coronavirus outbreak in March. It was also announced last month that the Preakness...

Favorite: Easy Goer (Alydar). Every once in a while a horse comes around that makes you believe that nothing is impossible. They don't just win, they win effortlessly. They don't just run fast, they break track records. They have the perfect pedigree. They're in the right hands. What can they accomplish? What can't they accomplish? That was the way I felt about Easy Goer. After losing his debut by a nose, Easy Goer reeled off four straight wins, including the 1988 GI Champagne S. He would win by four, five...

In a move that seemed inevitable, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Thursday that the opening of the Belmont Park spring/summer meet will be delayed due to the continuing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Highlighted by the 152nd running of the GI Belmont S. June 6, the 51-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet was originally scheduled to begin Apr. 24 and conclude July 12. "We are working closely with the New York State Gaming Commission and public health officials to determine a timeline for the resumption of live racing...

The late Triple Crown nomination deadline, which was scheduled for Monday, will be extended to an as-yet undetermined later date under an extension agreed upon by racing officials at Churchill Downs Racetrack, the Maryland Jockey Club and the New York Racing Association. While the date of the GI Kentucky Derby has already been pushed back to Sept. 5, officials are still considering possible alternate dates for the GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S. When all three Triple Crown dates appear to be firm, a late Triple Crown nomination closing...

I participate in a group called "Thoroughbred Horse Racing Discussion" on Facebook and I conduct polls with a large sampling rate. On Mar. 20, I put up a poll responded to by 176 people--a statistically significant pool of people very interested in the horse racing industry. Of these, 113 supported the current plan to have the Kentucky Derby Sept. 5. Only 40 supported having the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May, but without a live audience, as the Louisiana Derby was run last Saturday. Two people said the...

Perhaps this will neatly fall in line, with the GI Preakness S. being run two weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Belmont S. three weeks after that. That would mean a Sept. 5 Derby, a Sept. 19 Preakness and an Oct. 10 Belmont. Four weeks later, Keeneland would host the Breeders' Cup. That may be the best thing when it comes to restoring some order to a Triple Crown that has been turned upside down by the coronavirus, but it doesn't come without its own set of...

The GI Kentucky Derby has been moved from May 2 to Sept. 5 as a result of the coronavirus, Churchill Downs officials announced Tuesday. "Throughout the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic, our first priority has been how to best protect the safety and health of our guests, team members and community," Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement. "As the situation evolved, we reached the difficult conclusion that we needed to reschedule. At no point did we ever consider canceling the Kentucky Derby." In the aftermath of...

The stakes schedule for the 51-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet, featuring 58 total stakes races worth $18.65 million starting Friday, Apr. 24 through Sunday, July 12, was announced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. Saturday. The meet will offer 11 total Grade I contests and five races with purses of $1 million or higher, with the first four of those contests coming during the three-day GI Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 4 through Saturday, June 6. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade Is...

7th-Aqueduct, $81,560, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 1-31, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:39.15, ft. SIR WINSTON (c, 4, Awesome Again--La Gran Bailadora {GSW & GISP, $338,416}, by Afleet Alex), victor of the GI Belmont S. last June, returned to winning ways Friday in his return to dirt after a failed attempt on turf last month. Scratched due to sloppy conditions in last Saturday's Jazil S. at the Big A, the homebred was given a 4-1 chance in this competitive event. The chestnut trailed the field early as Leitone (Chi) (Dunkirk) loped along through...