Belmont Fall Championship Meet Preview
by Patricia Woo | Sep 13 2010
Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., might be best known for hosting the
Belmont Stakes each year - the third and final leg of the
Triple Crown series. But after the Spring/Summer meet wraps up, the racetrack gears up for its second lineup of stakes and offers horse bettors even more excitement.
Turf runners feature heavily in the coming races. The most anticipated - and lucrative - race for 3-year-olds and up is the
$500,000 Gr. 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational scheduled for Oct. 2. Among the expected is 2010 Triple Crown contender Paddy O'Prado, who came in third in this year's Kentucky Derby, but has gone on to shine on grass. Trained by Dale Romans, the 3-year-old son of El Prado has put together a string of victories since the Triple Crown – the Gr. 2 Colonial Turf Cup and the Gr. 2 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs and the Gr. 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park – and will be facing older males for the first time. Interpatation is one of those older rivals: Christophe Clement's 8-year-old gelding won this race last year, beating eventual 2009 champion grass horse Gio Ponti in the process. The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic's companion race is the $500,000 Gr. 1 Flower Bowl Invitation for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, also scheduled for Oct. 2 and run at 1 ¼ miles.
The highlight of the fall championship meet at Belmont Park is the
Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational, a $750,000 Gr. 1 race for 3-year-olds and up run at 1 ¼ miles on the dirt. This year's race is shaping up to be a significant one, with some of the most exciting males in action today expected. The Rick Dutrow, Jr.-trained Rail Trip, a 5-year-old son of Jump Start, is one of those. After coming out of the Gr. 1 Hollywood Gold Cup in July with a runner-up finish and a minor foot injury and missing the $750,000 Gr. 1 Woodward Stakes on Sept. 4, Rail Trip has been looking sharp in his workouts at Saratoga. Riding a five-race win streak that includes a victory over Quality Road in the Gr. 1 Whitney Handicap on Aug. 7, Blame is another top contender for the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Trained by Albert Stall, this 4-year-old son of Arch will be stretching out to 1 ¼ miles for the first time but has the credentials and talent to win this race.
Other highly anticipated races at the Belmont Park Fall Championship meet include the
$350,000 Gr. 1 Vosburgh Stakes on Oct. 2 for sprinters and the
$300,000 Gr. 1 Champagne Stakes on Oct. 9 for juveniles; New York-breds take to the spotlight on Oct. 23 for a seven-race showcase that includes the $200,000 Empire Classic at 1 1/8 miles.
The Belmont Park Fall Championship meet runs from Sept. 11 to Oct. 30, 2010. Don't miss out!
Bet on horse racing at the Bodog Racebook!
