The 147th (2015) BELMONT STAKES! Will the 37-year drought end today??

various sources | June 6, 2015 | self

[basalt]

there actually should have been 4 triple crown winners in the 70’s....Spectacular Bid in 1979. For some bizarre reason, the trainer, Bud Delp,kept that moron Ronnie Franklin as his jockey.....kid had no reason to be on any horse , let alone that great colt. Ugh.

[Andy'smom]

There are races all day long. There are 2 more after the Belmont Stakes.

[ETL]

Pardon my ignorance, not a racing fan. But, we see thousands of people gather at the race track, all for a 2 minute race. Are there a lot of activities going on besides the race?

You get all types for these big horse racing events. Some love the sport. Some want to potentially witness history. Some, particularly celebrities, just want to say, "hey, look at me". Others just want to party, get drunk, and act stupid.

[MD Expat in PA]

The big races that make up the Triple Crown; the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, while those races are the main attraction, they are not the only races on those days at those tracks. For instance at Belmont, the Belmont Stakes race is the final of 11 races at Belmont today. There are also in recent years other entertainments such as concerts before and after the big race. It is pretty much an all day event.

http://www.belmontstakes.com/entertainment.aspx

http://www.belmontstakes.com/eventlineup.aspx

There are also lots of food vendors, I think also beer gardens and wine tastings and all sorts of other vendors. And having grown up in Baltimore, and although I’ve never been to it, the Preakness was not just a one day event but consisted of many events in and around town in the week leading up to the race.

I did enjoy watching the hot air balloons.

http://www.ballooningusa.com/preakness/

[Repeal 16-17]

I hope it happens today, but horse racing is very unpredictable.

[ETL]

there actually should have been 4 triple crown winners in the 70’s....Spectacular Bid in 1979. For some bizarre reason, the trainer, Bud Delp,kept that moron Ronnie Franklin as his jockey.....kid had no reason to be on any horse , let alone that great colt. Ugh.

Good point. I think the defeat in the Belmont was blamed on a leg bandage safety pin that somehow came loose during the race.

[ETL]

Thanks for the link. Brought a few tears, I loved that horse!

You're welcome. Quite a decade for racing, the '70s. Not only was there possibly the greatest male horse of all time (Secretariat), there was the sensational filly, Ruffian, quite possibly the best female horse of all time. Also, one of the best older horses ever in the great gelding, Forego.

[Irish Eyes]

Thanks for the link. You are doing a great job.

:) Irish

[ETL]

There are races all day long. There are 2 more after the Belmont Stakes.

And not just ordinary races. Most have huge purses, and include the biggest names in the other racing categories (other than the 3-year-old restricted Belmont).

[basalt]

oh yea.....i remember that pin story. At the time, most couldnt understand why Delp kept Frankiln on that caliber of horse. I guess he tried to keep the whole “young superstar jockey” thing going after Steve Cauthen had did it a year earlier. Only problem...Cauthen could really ride. Great great jockey at that time.

[Pajamajan]

Good luck to American Pharaoh!

[basalt]

imagine if they had bred Secretariat with Ruffian?.......wow

[ETL]

Cauthen could really ride. Great great jockey at that time.

I once saw him win 7 races at Aqueduct. Never got to meet him while working at Belmont in the 70s.

[basalt]

that was a tough cold winter that year at Aqueduct.....it seemed like Cauthen was winning 4-5 races almost everyday. What a year he had.

[MinuteGal]

NBC is the network covering the race.

Leni

[ETL]

imagine if they had bred Secretariat with Ruffian?.......wow

"As God is my witness, she (Ruffian) may even be better than Secretariat."—Lucien Laurin, trainer of Secretariat

"Ruffian won her maiden by 15 lengths and
returned to the winner's circle looking as fresh
as if she'd just left the barn."

_______________________________________________

Ruffian's Complete Race Record

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2 Year Old Season, 1974
Date	#/Track	Cond/Length	Split 1	2	3	4	Race Name	Jockey	Weight	W/P/S	Comments
5/22	3/Bel	fst/5 1/2f	22.1	45	57	1:03	Md Sp Wt(F)	Vasquez J	116	Ruffian(15), Suzest, Garden Quad	Ridden Out
6/12	8/Bel	fst/5 1/2F	22.2	45.1	57	1:03	(F)Fashion-G3	Vasquez J	117	Ruffian(6 3/4), Corpernica, Jan Verzal	Ridden Out
7/10	8/Aqu	fst/5 1/2F	21.4	44.2	56.2	1:02.4	(F)Astoria-G3	Bracciale V Jr	118	Ruffian(9), Laughin Bridge, Our Dancing Girl	Speed to spare
7/27	8/Mth	fst/6F	21.3	44.1	-	1:09.0	(F)Sorority-G3	Vasquez J	119	Ruffian(2 1/4), Hot n Nasty, Stream Across	Driving
8/23	8/Sar	fst/6F	:22.1	:44.4	-	1:08.3	(F)Spinaway-G1	Bracciale V Jr	120	Ruffian(12 3/4), Laughing Bridge, Scottish Melody	Easily

3 Year Old Season, 1975
Date	#/Track	Cond/Length	Split 1	2	3	4	Race Name	Jockey	Weight	W/P/S	Comments
4/14	8/Aqu	fst/6f	23.0	45.4	-	1:09.2	(F)Alw 20000	Vasquez J	122	Ruffian(4 3/4), Sir Ivor's Sorrow, Channelette	Easily
4/30	8/Aqu	fst/7f	22.4	45.0	1:08.4	1:21.1	(F)Comely-G3	Vasquez J	113	Ruffian(7 3/4), Aunt Jin, Point in Time	Slow Start, handily
5/10	8/Aqu	fst/1m	23.2	45.3	1:09.3	1:34.2	(F)Acorn-G1	Vasquez J	121	Ruffian(8 1/4), Somethingregal, Gallant Trial	In hand
5/31	8/Aqu	fst/1 1/8m	47.3	1:11.3	1:35.3	1:47.4	(F)Mother Goose-G1	Vasquez J	121	Ruffian(13 1/2), Sweet Old Girl, SunandSnow	Easy score
6/21	8/Bel	fst/1 1/2m	49.0	1:13.2	2:03.1	2:27.4	(F)C C A Oaks-G1	Bracciale V Jr	121	Ruffian(2 3/4), Equal Change, LtMLngr	Confidently Ridden
7/6	8/Bel	fst/1 1/4m	44.3	1:08.3	1:35.2	2:02.4	Match Race 350k	Vasquez J	121	Foolish Pleasure(126)	Broke Down

 

"Ruffian won her maiden by 15 lengths and
returned to the winner's circle looking as fresh
as if she'd just left the barn."

Ruffian's Complete Race Record

---

[novemberslady]

BTTT

[Mouton]

I will go with an exacta box: Materiality, Maajtebe( Irish bred) and the Pharro. I will be surprised if it is not pretty close between Materiality an AP at the finish. Cannot throw out the other horse as it has taken in 1.5 million over its career. Each of these can carry the weight over distance too. AP has not been pushed yet, so unless he comes up sluggish or goes to sleep on the lead, he really should win but there is always racing luck and the horse has raced 3 times in five weeks albeit relatively easy.

Front runners seem to do well in this race, they set the tone and even with the length and a short field, some behind can still get in trouble. That said, Canonario II looked like a winner too but was destroyed by the late running Pass Catcher at 20-1 so it can happen.

[MD Expat in PA]

Secretariat: Belmont Stakes (1973) with extended post race coverage:

I remember watching the ‘73 Belmont live on TV and my mom and I jumping up and down and screaming, rooting for “Big Red”. : ),

“He is moving like a tremendous machine” is IMO one of the most famous and most accurate phrases in all of sports history.

[ETL]

Very odd first couple of races for AP. He gets soundly beaten in his first race (a maiden race, race for non-winners), by just over 9 lengths, then they enter him in a Grade 1 (major) stakes race and he runs away with it!