How Long Is The Stretch At Belmont Park
- How Long Is The Stretch At Belmont Park
- How Long Is The Stretch At Belmont Park Queens
- Is Belmont Park Open To The Public
By Noel Michaels
The new season at Belmont Park has arrived. The 2020 spring/summer meet opens June 3 (Wednesday), and runs through July 12. In many ways, the shortened 25-race-day meet will look a lot like Saratoga in terms of quality and duration.
The grand opening of Belmont Park on May 4, 1905, prompted the first of countless traffic jams in Long Island history as more than 40,000 fans, in all manner of conveyance, tried to. August Belmont Jr. And William Collins Whitney, along with other investors, built the original Belmont race track which opened on May 4, 1905. Arthur Underhill was hired as Engineer and Landscape Architect to design and oversee construction of the park. Since 1997 only 11 of the 20 Belmont winners had raced over the course beforehand. Aside from Meantime’s runner-up effort in the Peter Pan last month, Twisted Tom is the only other Belmont Stakes horses with Belmont Park experience – and that was actually.
The season will be only six weeks and there’s a stakes race nearly every day, with a first post at 1:15 p.m. Racing will be conducted Thursdays through Sundays, except for opening week. No spectators will be in attendance.
The biggest day, of course, will be the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes on June 20. The third leg of racing’s Triple Crown this year will be after the series was rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The distance of the Belmont Stakes will be shortened to 1 1/8 miles, and the race is expected to attract a strong cast led by Florida Derby winner Tiz the Law, trained by Barclay Tagg.
New York’s top riders are back in town, too. For handicappers, that means Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz, Jr., are likely to lead the way over a star-studded group that includes Hall of Famers Javier Castellano and John Velazquez, as well as Joel Rosario, Manny Franco, Jose Lezcano, and Luis Saez. These riders should be in the top 10 in the jockey standings during the season, along with perhaps Kendrick Carmouche and Dylan Davis.
Trainers Linda Rice, Rudy Rodriguez, and Jeremiah Englehart should join Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown atop the trainer standings.
An in-depth look at the Belmont Park 2020 jockey and trainer picture is in the works for next week so stay tuned.
Belmont Track Handicapping Profile
On the dirt track, speed is a handy commodity. Other tracks such as Monmouth and Pimlico have more of a reputation as being speed-biased tracks, but Belmont Park can be right up there with the best of them.
In addition to running styles, you should also pay attention to the best paths on the main track because the inside part of the track has not been the best at recent meets and jockeys tend to avoid inside trips on the main track. Let’s see if this trend continues this season.
When it comes to post position angles on the main track, remember that Belmont runs almost no two-turn races due to its 1 1/2-mile circumference. This nearly negates any inside bias the track might have in route races, which are all one-turn affairs up to 1 1/8 miles (another factor that minimizes any possible advantage to being inside on the dirt).
One-turn specialists rule, and when handicapping Belmont races from one-mile to 1 1/8-miles, you always want to scan horse’s past performances to find runners with tactical speed who win races around one turn.
On the turf courses, both the inner turf and the outer turf tracks are big, wide, and fair with long stretch runs. Outside turf posts are a concern, however, at distances between one mile and 1 1/8 miles.
Horses breaking from the far outside in one-mile races and 1 1/16-mile races can be most negatively affected by outside posts. At one mile and 1 1/16-miles on the Widener turf course at the spring/summer meet, posts 8-12 should each win for about a combined 5-6 percent.
On the inner turf course at 1 1/16-miles, horses from posts 8-10 each can be expected to win only about 5 percent at a time. At 1 1/8-miles, posts 8-11 may win only about 7 percent. When in doubt, give favoritism in turf routes to horses breaking from posts 1-7 or 1-8.
How Long Is The Stretch At Belmont Park
In the popular and prominent turf sprint department, Belmont runs tons of races at both 6 furlongs and 7 furlongs (one turn). Rice does particularly well in Belmont turf sprints, as does Christophe Clement.
Logic would dictate that inside posts would be preferential in turf sprints, however, not only aren’t inside posts better in Belmont’s turf sprints, but, in fact, the opposite is true. Outside posts are the best post positions in Belmont turf sprints, and inside posts are the worst.
The anti-rail bias is particularly prevalent in Belmont turf sprints on the Widener course, where the rail Post 1 customarily wins at only 4-5 percent at both 6- and 7 furlongs. Actually, posts 1-3 are all disadvantages in Belmont turf sprints in big fields based on long-term win percentages. In fields of eight horses or less, the post position bias diminishes or disappears.
Enjoy the annual renaissance of New York racing with the return to beautiful Belmont Park. The 2020 meet will be a season like no other. Best of luck!
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How Long Is The Stretch At Belmont Park Queens
Levy has agreed a deal with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to become the food and beverage provider of Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.
Levy will begin serving Belmont Park from the opening of its spring meet on April 24. The course’s spring meet runs until July 12 and includes 58 total stakes races, highlighted by the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from June 4-6.
Is Belmont Park Open To The Public
Levy has agreed a multi-year deal with Belmont Park. After the track’s spring meet concludes in July, Levy will manage Saratoga Race Course’s 1863 Club, The Stretch, Turf Terrace, Club Terrace, The Porch and Easy Goer spaces. Saratoga’s 2020 meet will run from July 16 to September 7.
Levy will manage a hospitality team comprised of CxRA, Mazzone Hospitality and Union Square Events. Levy’s technology and analytics company, E15 Group, will also develop food and beverage options at the two race courses based on fan preferences and dining trends.
The agreement bolsters Levy’s horse-racing portfolio, with the company also serving as the dining and hospitality partner of Churchill Downs. Levy oversees all concessions, VIP suites and clubs, as well as on-site restaurants during Kentucky Derby week and the full racing calendar.
NYRA chief executive and president Dave O’Rourke said: “This new partnership between NYRA and Levy demonstrates our commitment to providing racing fans in New York with the highest quality hospitality offerings available today.
“Levy’s depth of experience operating in significant, well-known sports and entertainment venues here in New York and around the country makes this an ideal arrangement for NYRA and our fans.”
Andy Lansing, president and chief executive of Levy, added: “Few venues and events match the impact Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park have had on our sports culture. We’re excited to be partners with the New York Racing Association and entrusted to elevate the hospitality experience at two of the country’s most iconic venues. We’ll honour that tradition and set the bar within and outside the racing world with a truly world-class collection of hospitality and culinary talent.”
Levy’s other sports clients include the Rose Bowl, tennis’ US Open and golf’s Ryder Cup, while it also holds partnerships with venues such as Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island.
Image: NYRA