Downpours gave way to sunshine June 7 at Saratoga Race Course as fans flocked to the historic track for the 157th Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets.
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., resident Tom Durkin is widely viewed as one of the finest race callers of all time. His excellence was recognized with the Eclipse Award of Merit in 2015, one year after he retired.
The Chicago native got his start in 1971 by calling the action at Wisconsin county fairs. He rose to prominence as the race caller for NBC Sports from 1984 through 2010 and served in that capacity for the New York Racing Association from 1990 until 2014.
You could make the case that Belmont Park has delivered more unforgettable New York sports moments than even Madison Square Garden over the past few decades.
Across Union Avenue from Saratoga Race Course, itself a piece of racing history dating to 1863, sits a brick building, a mixture of modern and classic lines, its exterior dotted with odes to the greatness inside. A walk through its hallowed halls yields a journey through centuries of a sport, as everything from the legendary Lexington’s horseshoe to an assortment of Triple Crown trophies greets visitors along the way.
The final jewel of North American horse racing’s Triple Crown is set for Saturday, June 7, and for the second straight year the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets will be held at Saratoga Race Course while Belmont Park continues to undergo a complete reconstruction.
