2020 Belmont Stakes...

[forego]

June 20, 2020 and distance shortened to 1 & 1/8...one turn... that's too bad

[shoes]

Will it involve Derby qualifying points?

[1hooper]

Belmont Stakes Day June 20 will feature six graded races including four Grade 1 events led by the historic Belmont Stakes, which will offer 150-60-30-15 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.
Full story here. www.nyra.com/belmont/news/nyra-announces-stakes-schedule-for-25-day-belmont-park-spring-summer-meet

[forego]

The stakes schedule for the meet is impressive. Still nothing as yet on what NYRA does with the Travers. I thought they might move the Jim Dandy to the Belmont meet and move the Travers up to the first week of August or thereabouts. I'm guessing they keep the Saratoga meeting dates as is.

[gam]

Maybe run Jim Dandy on opening weekend and Travers 4 weeks prior to Ky Derby.

[hezethebest]

Forego, while I have not seen any Spa Stakes revision plans, I have to believe NYRA will move the Travers to the 1st or 8th so the 3 year olds could still compete in the Kentucky Derby. Jim Dandy could be scheduled opening weekend if they pick the 8th for the Travers and that leaves a 4 week break to the Derby.

[hezethebest]

May 19, 2020 15:45:07 GMT -5 gam said:

Maybe run Jim Dandy on opening weekend and Travers 4 weeks prior to Ky Derby.

LOL, George. Great minds? I think, and hope we are right!

[forego]

Yeah...you guys are probably right about moving races around. It certainly makes the definition of what constitutes the "Triple Crown" this year an interesting one. Is it the traditional definition with the Belmont scaled back to a 1 & 1/8th or the Travers, Kentucky Derby and Preakness? Baffert said he's planning on sending both Charlatan & Nadal east for the Belmont, so I guess that answers that question?

[gam]

TC is a throwaway this year, IMO. Hopefully no one sweeps the three races. Interesting that Barry Irwin has suggested a permanent rescheduling of the TC which would make it easier on the horses but would jettison the spacing/timing we’ve associated it with for a long time.

www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/its-time-revamp-triple-crown/

[phlierfreak]

i am in the process of ordering a horse costume so that myself and another lucky individual can sneak in and watch these races.

[forego]

I'm with you gam on the sweep. The subject of changing the time between races for TC has been a topic of conversation for more than a few years now. It was definitely a hot topic for several years before AP finally broke the streak. Then it kind of died down because, guess what, not one but two brilliant horses did it in a three year span. There were also a number of very close calls from 1979 up until AP in 2015 that people tend to forget.

As for Barry, I'm going to go off on a bit of a rant so apologies in advance.

Frankly I put Barry's argument in the same category of everyone getting a participation award for entering, no matter where you finished. The horses aren't as sturdy as they were 60 or 70 years ago is something that the US horse industry has only themselves to blame. There was a time where lasix, bute, and a whole host of other drugs and "medications" were either not allowed or significantly restricted as to their uses. When no Lasix was allowed, if a horse bled, the first time they were put on the shelf for a period of time, 30 days or more, bleed again and it was 60 days, a third time and you were out for 90 or more days. Exercised induced pulmonary bleed, yes? Bleeders are bred to other bleeders and pass it on, horses with foot or other type of conformation problems are medicated and race and do quite well and subsequently breed and pass on their good and bad genes...and on and on and on...Add in Navarro and Servis and other trainers who (allegedly) dope and return incredible results and so many people are "shocked and appalled" by the allegations when charges are brought. Really??? If you're really about the good of the horse Barry, then concentrate on making sure that horses aren't run on drugs. It's not time to revamp the TC, it's time to revamp the industry approach to what's gotten the health of the breed to such a state. Get rid of the DRUGS...and lifetime bans for those caught using them.

Rant over...

[spiderjohn]

Love it, forego
Have attended 36 consecutive Belmonts, and would be fine going back to the time when Lasix wasn’t allowed.

It isn’t supposed to be easy, not that spacing it out would actually make it easier.

I have my usual seats, section 2n row a. I have the option of refund or a credit + 10% off next year, or adding to NYRAbets(don’t live in NY). I am going to take the $$$. My streak is over, and not sure that my wife and I will visit NYC any time soon, though we love it up there.

Now if they offered me comparable seating for toga, they might get my attention...

[gam]

I’d be OK with them moving the Preakness back a week so as to have 3 weeks between each of the three legs, and possibly starting the sequence 2-3 weeks later but much more than that would radically transform the thing to a completely different endeavor.

[turffan]

Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes record of 2:24 is certain to fall.

[propro]

Turffan, it's been run twice at 9 furlongs, along with 10f, 11f, the modern standard of 12f and even 13f. The 9f Belmont Stakes record is from 1893 at Morris Park in the Bronx when Comanche won the Belmont in 1:53 1/4. Ahhhhh, the olden days with the quarter second timing. :-)

[turffan]

Propro - I had Comanche across the board.

[1hooper]

16 starters possible!

11 ELEVENTH RACE The 152nd Running of STAKES THE BELMONT STAKES
Grade I
$1,000,000(Up to $60,000 NYSBFOA) FORTHREEYEAROLDS. By subscription of $600 each, to accompany the nomination, if made on or before January 25, 2020. At any time prior to the closing time of entries, horses may be nominated to The Belmont Stakes upon payment of a supplementary fee of $15,000 to the New York Racing Association, Inc. $7,500 to pass the entry box and $7,500 additional to start. All entrants will be required to pay entry and starting fees; but no fees, supplemental or otherwise shall be added to the purse. The purse to be divided $535,000 to the winner, $185,000 to second, $100,000 to third, $65,000 to fourth, $40,000 to fifth, $30,000 to sixth, $25,000 to seventh and $20,000 to eighth. Certain finishing positions in this race will earn points to qualify for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, pursuant to the official rules for the Road to the Kentucky Derby published by Churchill Downs Incorporated. The Belmont Stakes has been selected as one the races in the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. The winner of the Belmont Stakes will be awarded 150 points, the second place finisher 60 points, the third place finisher 30 points and the fourth place finisher 15 points. Colts and Geldings, 126 lbs.; Fillies, 121 lbs. Starters to be named at the closing time of entries. The Belmont field will be limited to sixteen (16) starters. In the event more than 16 entries pass through the entry box, the starters will be determined at the closing time of entries with the first eight (8) starters given preference by accumulation of the highest earnings in Graded Sweepstakes at a mile or over. For purposes of this preference, the graded status of each race shall be the Grade assigned by the International Cataloguing Standards Committee in Part 1 of The International Cataloguing Standards as published annually by The Jockey Club Information Systems, Inc. The next five (5) starters will be determined by accumulation of the highest earnings (lifetime) in all non-restricted sweepstakes. Non-restricted Sweepstakes shall mean those sweepstakes whose conditions contain no restrictions other than age or sex. The remaining three (3) starters shall be selected by the Belmont Stakes Selection Committee. Should this preference produce any ties, the additional starter(s) shall be determined by lot (Original nominees preferred). If the rules described result in the exclusion of any horse the $7,500 entry fee will be refunded to the owner of said horse. The winning owner will be presented with the August Belmont Memorial Cup to be retained for one year as well as a trophy for permanent possession and trophies to the winning
trainer and jockey.
ONE MILE AND ONE EIGHTH

[1hooper]

Considered probable for the Belmont: Basin (Liam=s Map), Charlatan (Speightstown), Farmington Road (Quality Road), Gouverneur Morris (Constitution), Max Player (Honor Code), Modernist (Uncle Mo), Nadal (Blame), Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}), and Tiz the Law. Those considered possible for the race are: Maxfield (Street Sense), Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic), and Shivaree (Awesome of Course).

[spiderjohn]

Just watched today’s work by my other Derby future runner, Tagg’s TIZ THE LAW. Very impressive and probably headed to the Belmont. Doubt that I want to see MAXFIELD and him(+ other stout runners) go head to head up there.

We shall see—maybe MAXFIELD should go somewhere else.....

[1hooper]

Tiz looked good in his latest work. www.xbtv.com/video/workout/tiz-the-law-worked-5-furlongs-in-100-53-at-belmont-park-on-june-8th-2020/

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.53 seconds Monday on Big Sandy in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, to be held without spectators, on Saturday, June 20 at Belmont Park.
Jockey Manny Franco was aboard Tiz the Law who visited the Belmont main track at 8:45 a.m. after the break. The Constitution bay, working by himself, galloped out three-quarters in 1:12.86 and seven-eighths in 1:25.28.

[Badactor]

www.belmontstakes.com/racing/belmont-stakes-contenders/

[Badactor]

1. Tap It To Win, John Velasquez, 6-1
2. Sole Volante,Luca Panici, 9-2
3. Max Player, Joel Rosario, 15-1
4. Modernist, Junior Alvarado, 15-1
5. Farmington Road, Javier Castellano, 15-1
6. Fore Left, Jose Ortiz, 30-1
7. Jungle Runner, Reylu Gutierrez, 50-1
8. Tiz the Law, Manny Franco, 6-5
9. Dr Post, Irad Ortiz Jr., 5-1
10. Pneumatic, Ricardo Santana Jr. 8-1

[mysaladdays]

May 19, 2020 20:53:49 GMT -5 forego said:

If you're really about the good of the horse Barry, then concentrate on making sure that horses aren't run on drugs. It's not time to revamp the TC, it's time to revamp the industry approach to what's gotten the health of the breed to such a state. Get rid of the DRUGS...and lifetime bans for those caught using them.

Rant over...

Hey good luck to everyone in the Belmont.  1-1/8 is of no interest to me, if it was at least 1-1/4 I might bother with a wager.  Horses I had tossed out like Tiz the Law for 1-1/4 are now "live" and all the work I did finding the classic distance horses for this season are pretty much out the window now.  That said, I like Barclay Tagg and always wanted him to do well in the TC races, so there's that. 

As for your rant forego, I have one of my own: 


Irwin is a member of WHOA ( WHOA (Water Hay Oats Alliance) and is one of the major outspoken critics of therapeutic race day medications like Lasix. 


WHOA was behind a push that led The Jockey Club to form an association with USADA to have the Congress of the United States appoint them to oversee the use of drugs in American Thoroughbred horseracing.   That didn't happen.   Just like the Horse Racing Integrity Act is still sitting around somewhere like a package lost behind a machine somewhere at USPS. 

The reality is when it becomes PROFITABLE to run horses w/out drugs, then it will happen.  And certainly, there are ways to make that happen.  
For me racing horses on PEDs is fraud, pure and simple.    I would want to own a horse who I know could do it on his own, right?

Meanwhile, when we are giving these young horses so many anti-inflammatories, it's not a big mystery why they are bleeding, is it? 

[Badactor]

Modernist 🐴 @ 15-1,

expecting Alvarado/Mott will not disappoint. BIG SHOT!

[shoes]

I'm with you Dell. I'm creating my own two horse M & M entry with Max Player and Modernist. Like the odds, the connections and with 3 year olds think 1 of the 2 has a great chance to make the needed step forward.

[forego]

Tiz the Law should get a great stalking trip in here, that said, I absolutely loved Sole Volante's 1 turn mile prep for this race. Panici barely moved on him letting the horse do it all on his own. He should get a fair pace to run at tomorrow and I will be very happy with 9-2!

[Badactor]

GOOD MORNING and Happy Belmont Stakes Day!

[Badactor]