Bruce Brown's Belmont barn is home to a menagerie of otherwise unwanted animals. (Photos courtesy of Julie June Stewart)

It was the largest bunny rabbit I have ever seen in my life. I couldn’t stop laughing every time he poked his head out to look at me. If there were bunnies in Jurassic Park, he would have been a star. And here he was on the backside of Belmont Park. I explore every track looking for who else might live with the horses. I have been blessed over the years to meet the cats, ponies and goats (Fudgie Maker)! I was so happy when I discovered the menagerie outside Bruce Brown’s barn located near the training track.

Tucked under the trees, I was entertained by three adorable baby pygmy goats that were playing king of the hill on a shelter while their elders watched. There are chickens of every kind, strutting roosters, a snoozing pig and the giant rabbit.

I discovered two very charming miniature horses that walked over to the fence in expectation that I might have treats. A gray tabby cat came out and after establishing that I am a cat person; the cat kept rearing up on his hind legs expecting me to pet him. Hot walker Sarah Murphy told me that his name is Marvin. He arrived extremely skinny and she gave him the nickname “Starving Marvin.” He has remained small but loving and is her favorite cat. The chickens ignored me as they walked about clucking with the roosters scolding them if they got in the way.

A RESIDENT ROOSTER

Bruce Brown said that once he moved to this barn near the end of the road, it became the perfect location for some additional animals. Sometimes track workers have to leave their animals behind when they change locations. He credited his assistant trainer Maria Marrone for their outstanding care: “She is always on the hunt for good homes for the animals.” Brown has two brothers with farms in Pennsylvania and Maryland. He laughed when he said, “We ship more than horses sometimes!”

I met Marrone and her loving dog Bindi. She was very gracious and took me for a tour of the barn. She explained that Brown is an animal lover. They operate a kind of halfway home for rejects, castoffs and the unwanted. They provide a safe place for the animals to live. The week after Easter, they received several rabbits that were set outside their barn. Sometimes there are unexpected new guests who arrive on a horse van such as an errant chicken or two. She rattled through their inventory which includes 7 goats, 2 pigs, 8 cats, 50 chickens, 20 bunnies and 2 miniature horses.

STRONG IMPACT AND CHARLIE

We stopped to visit 9-year-old Thoroughbred Strong Impact. He poked his head out of the stall and immediately started flirting. She showed me a pink teacup pig named Charlie who is slumbering next to him. Actually, Charlie is quite obese and she explained that “the more you feed them, the bigger they get!” Charlie and Strong Impact lived together for a year and then Strong Impact was claimed. Charlie was very upset while he was away. Shiftless, every night he slept in a different stall.

Strong Impact was gone for six months before the barn claimed him back. Marrone remembered it was amazing when he returned. “Out of fifty horses, Charlie went from stall to stall and found Strong Impact on his own. Once he found him, he won’t leave the stall. ”It could be the makings of a delightful children’s book. In fact, their love story was recently featured in the New York Times.

We dropped by Brown’s office where he has a wonderful colorful aquarium. Inhabiting a nearby chair in a lovely blur of tabby stripes were two large slumbering cats named James and Jack entwined with each other. She explained that several of their barn cats are elderly and considered too old to be adopted. They looked happy, healthy and loved. Brown likes his officemates and is pretty sure they never move; especially in the winter. He grew up on a farm and raised chickens. They are his favorite but he likes all the animals. Some of the chickens are Silkies but he refers to most of them as “racetrack mutts.” He especially admires Charlie the pig for keeping Strong Impact happy. 

JACK AND JAMES

Marrone took me to the “baby room” where they have newborn rabbits and chickens. As we turned the corner in the shed row, there was a protective hen that stopped and stared at us. There were three baby chicks tucked under her legs. She clucked and they came out and ran around her in circles. In the baby room, the young ones slumbered peacefully as Marrone reached in and held a baby chick.   

We stepped outside to meet the miniature horses (minis), Sassy and Mini. Brown said that the minis were at death’s door when they arrived after being rescued from a hoarding situation. Now the minis are loved and the backside workers’ children can ride them. In addition, a henhouse is being set up so the backside workers can have access to fresh eggs. In front of the goat enclosure is Boe Boe the pig. He is enormous. I was afraid to approach him until she explained that his back legs are paralyzed. “He can’t walk but he can scooch around!” There were several goats in his enclosure but he didn’t seem to mind.  After looking at us for a while, he grabbed a snack of some hay and settled down for another nap. 

BOE BOE

In addition to the colorful variety of chickens and roosters, there are also ducks. The ducks were brought in after surviving Hurricane Sandy. We both chuckled over the thought that ducks needed rescuing from a flood because it seems that water is the perfect environment for a duck. But the ducks needed a home and they fit in perfectly.

Marrone had to slip away to oversee the shipping of one of their horses and I sat with the animals for a while. It’s very pleasant to watch the animals play. I could hear Marrone negotiate to see if a visitor needed a chicken. Brown’s barn does not need any more animals but they step up to help the ones in need. They recently gave a rabbit to a grandfather who was looking for a pet for his grandson. But as one leaves, another arrives. On Belmont Stakes day, security found a card board box left behind in the parking lot; inside was a guinea pig. A very lucky guinea pig as security brought him to Brown’s barn.

The 445 acres of Belmont is home for 2,200 horses. In addition, there is housing for 865 people. Hundreds of people arrive in the morning to take care of every aspect of the barns on the backside from traffic management to maintenance. Everybody at Belmont seems to help them one way or another. They have feed donated. Veterinarians step in with care when needed. But more importantly, Marrone said that the animals “make the workers happy.” Indeed, I could certainly see that. The barn is not only a blessing for the animals that call it home but it is a blessing for the comfort and joy they provide to the backside.