GI Belmont Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--In early June, while I was working on a story about the GI Met Mile for the TDN, one question led me to another. First: What year did two-time Met Mile winner Gulch go into the Hall of Fame? Second: How could Gulch, who won seven Grade I races, finished in the top three in 25 of 32 career starts and earned over $3 million in the 1980s not be in the Hall of Fame? "Yeah. You've got it. You're right," breeder-owner Peter Brant said. "They don't always...

Retired MLB star and GI Belmont Stakes-winning co-owner Jayson Werth will be the luncheon keynote speaker at the Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga (RGCS), taking place from Aug. 12-14 at the Saratoga Hilton, the organizers said in a release on Thursday. "I am humbled to be welcomed into the racing community alongside experts passionate about addressing the challenges and opportunities in racing and gaming," said Werth. "It's an honor to share my own journey with such a remarkable group at the Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga." The RGCS...

If you didn't know the sophisticated people behind the mating, you might imagine that Puca went to Good Magic on no better premise than to double down on the alchemy implicit in both names. Because a puca (or pooka) in folklore is a shape-changing sprite, capable of bringing good or bad fortune. Shakespeare named Puck accordingly in A Midsummer Night's Dream, but my favourite example is Elwood P. Dowd's invisible drinking buddy Harvey, a rabbit standing just under six feet four inches. Perhaps you've noticed his silhouette at Harvey's Bar...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Every one of the 2,570 partners in MyRacehorse's Seize the Grey (Arrogate) has a story about their GI Belmont S.-bound Preakness winner. Or three. Or six. Truth be told, probably more. They are co-owners, albeit with micro shares that cost a mere $127, of the winner of a Triple Crown race, who will try to add a second jewel on Saturday when the 156th Belmont is run for the first time at Saratoga Race Course. They are part of a movement begun 55 years ago by...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - So far, a colt named Mindframe (Constitution) has been nothing short of mind blowing. Two starts. Two wins. By a combined margin of 21 1/4 lengths. His connections think so much of him that start No. 3 will be the GI Belmont S. Saturday at Saratoga. Trainer Todd Pletcher and co-owner Mike Repole are confident the lightly raced horse will make a credible showing in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont. Despite having little experience, Mindframe was made the 7-2 second choice by New York Racing Association linemaker...

The GI Kentucky Derby winner will run in the GI Belmont S. Trainer Kenny McPeek said Sunday that he has entered Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont, which will be run for the first time at Saratoga Race Course on June 8. "His blood work came back good and he's been eating everything up in his tub," McPeek said early Sunday afternoon. "It's going to be a fun weekend." The draw for the Belmont will be held Monday evening in downtown Saratoga Springs. Mystik Dan finished second in...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a job fair on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET, the first in a series of events to support the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, the association said in a release Thursday. The job fair will be held on the first floor of the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course. Interested applicants should enter through the Wright Street entrance (Gate 8) with parking available in the 1863 Club lot. "The 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing...

Trainer Joe Cantey, who teamed up with owner John Ed Anthony to win a slew of major races, including the GI 1980 Belmont S., passed away Friday at the age of 82 in his hometown of Camden, S.C. The news was confirmed by his ex-wife, Charlsie Cantey. The cause of death was lung and mouth cancer. "Everything he touched pretty much turned to gold," Charlsie said. "When he set his mind to do something, he exceeded it by leaps and bounds." Cantey started out handling horses for Bert Firestone as...

At 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, the Kentucky Horse Park's free September EquineEd lecture series welcomes Jena Antonucci and Katie Miranda, trainers and co-owners of horseOlogy, the organization said in a release early Thursday. HorseOlogy is a full-cycle Thoroughbred training and ownership organization based in Ocala, Florida, that handles everything related to breeding, training, and racing. The event will be held at the Hall of Champions barn and attendees can enter through the Visitor Center. The next speaker in the series is Erin O'Keefe of the Retired Racehorse Project Oct....

For every Off-the-Track Thoroughbred enthusiast, having a sound and healthy former racehorse to partner with for a second career is all they hope for. And while these same people will tell you their horse's racing history doesn't matter much, many of these same OTTB devotees will also admit their immense pride in explaining their companion's racing career, recreating as much of it as possible to anyone who will listen. Just about everyone in the Thoroughbred industry understands that most OTTBs are runners who served as the backbone of racing, filling...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) will feature a series of Secretariat-related fan giveaways and vintage artifacts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic 31-length victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 to Saturday, June 10. The first 5,000 fans to pass through the main admission gates at Belmont Park Friday, June 9 will receive a commemorative poster of Secretariat crossing the finish line in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. The first 5,000 through the main admission gates Saturday, June 10...

ELMONT, NY - With the rising sun making its way through cloudy skies, GI Belmont S. longshot Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) began to get into his gallop on the clubhouse turn on a steamy Wednesday morning at beautiful Belmont Park. Sporting plenty of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.'s flashy yellow-and-blue stable colors, the GI Preakness S. fifth-place finisher continued to catch the eye upon return while jogging along the outer rail with his neck arched. He stood briefly by the gap and soaked up plenty of attention from a handful of photographers as...