Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from the 157th Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and other major races that were part of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that concluded Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.
The horse racing world was understandably disappointed when Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott decided to have Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner Sovereignty bypass the Preakness Stakes an
There are millions of words that can be used to describe the intense emotions rolled into a classic rivalry.
Yet there’s just one word, with only three letters, that stamps certain athletic battles as those rare confrontations that can withstand the test of time and grow even more legendary with each passing generation.
And.
It’s that simple.
Whenever you cannot name one participant without the reflexive action of adding that “and” for the second one, you know you have something truly special.
The challenges for California racing have been well documented as the state attempts to offer strong purses and maintain field size while competing for horses with states that receive purse funding from added gaming. This year’s Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets serves as the latest reminder that those California issues do not include the quality of runners on the track.
