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The upcoming weekend is a history-making one in horse racing, as on Friday, Sept. 18, Belmont Park opens after an extensive reconstruction project that took five years to fully complete. The venerable Long Island, N.Y., track will have an entirely new main building with grandstand, clubhouse, and box seating as well as a re-envisioned paddock and a new all-weather track for winter racing.

With a record-breaking season comes the attention of turf writers, so Manny Franco was not surprised when I came calling for an interview. However, like many riders, he prefers to do his talking on the track.

“I’m a little bit shy of big cameras and stuff and talking to the media, but I do it,” Franco laughed. “It’s part of the job.”

The 2026 Labor Day holiday weekend featured top-class horse racing across the country, marking the conclusion of successful summer meets at Saratoga, Del Mar, and Colonial Downs. The upcoming week and weekend is highlighted by a sensational racecard Saturday, Sept.

After two weeks of excitement highlighted by the Pacific Classic Stakes Aug. 22 and the DraftKings Travers Stakes Aug. 29, another huge weekend in horse racing is on tap spanning Saturday, Sept. 5 through the Labor Day holiday, Monday, Sept. 7.

French apprentice jockey Roxane Liegeois has never been afraid to travel across the world for an opportunity.

Her career has already taken her from France to racetracks across the United Arab Emirates and, most recently, to Southern California, where she is beginning a new chapter and finding success.

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