Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc.
Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc.
MEMORIES OF THE BELMONT STAKES
6/4/2023
Belmont Park screamed as the field for the Belmont Stakes peaked through the chut like an actor waiting to go on stage. One-by-one they were led by their pony into the bright sunlight that bathed Elmont, New York. The day was set up as a perfect day for horse racing. People who paid large sums for the reserved seats on the 16th pole were seated waiting for the show to begin. They were focusing on the only Triple Crown candidate on the track. Many were denied a clear view by the people who had crashed through the gate to get a glimpse from the third-floor rail. The attendant had lost control and when asked to remove the squatters so ticket holders could she was unresponsive likely out of fear of crowd control. The soundtrack lowered to a hush as the starters of the third leg of the Triple Crown approached the starting gate.
The scene has been repeated 13 times since Affirmed completed the Triple Crown in 1978. In those years 43 years fans crowd the grandstand like to say they witnessed racing history but came away unrewarded. Thirteen horses since 1979 won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but lost the Belmont Stakes. Fans were disappointed since they came to see the Triple Crown won. Four horses in losing provided the most excitement for these fans in the stands. In 1989 Sunday Silence, the California phenom, finished in 2nd 8 length behind the winner, Easy Goer. In 1997 another California invader, Silver Charm, finished second only ¾ of a length behind Touch Gold— “close but no cigar”. In 1998 Real Quiet lost to Victory Gallop by 1 ½ lengths. The last to do it was Smarty Jones who lost by a tiring length to Birdstone. Last horse to win the Tiple Crown was American Pharoah in 2015, thirty-five years after Affirmed did it. Fans are still waiting for the next, although won’t see it this year.
I began my Triple Crown hunt accidentally. The very first race I ever attended was in 1978. A friend of mine from graduate school and native of New York City invited me to go with him to the 1978 Belmont Stakes. At 32 I was always interested in a fun adventure. So, off we went, without tickets or reserved seats. The free seats that day were on the fourth floor of the grandstand which made the small jockeys atop the impressive Thoroughbred look even smaller. Yet the views of the backstretch were perfect to see Affirmed and Alydar pull away from the field and turn the mile and half Belmont Stakes into seven-furlong sprint. At the finish line we realized we had just experienced history, never realizing that this history would not repeat itself for decades. So began my journey to see the next Triple Crown winner.
The next year a few friends were invited to go with me to the Belmont Stakes. This time I made a day of the trip. We planned to arrive early and set up a picnic area and enjoy the pageantry of the Belmont Stakes. Our crowd trickled into the Park between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. We had reserved seats this time. We started our day with Coffee, pastries, and New York City bagels. Racing Forms spread across the picnic tables that we commandeered. At noon the adult beverages came out and we were racing. We shared our handicapping analysis and wagering suggestions, figuring the more heads the better. That rarely worked out.
Over the years our small group of friends grew into friends of friends and acquaintances until the mid-nineties when we needed a collection of picnic tables and lawn chairs to accommodate the 20 plus in our group. I was confident that 1997 would be the year I would see the next Triple Crown winner. In February that year while visiting a friend in California we attended the San Vicente Stakes and watched a young 3-year-old, Silver Charm, win the race We collected. We had our “Derby Horse”. “Charm” went on to place in the San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby both of which rewarded our bankroll and reinforced our selection for the Derby. After winning the Derby and the Preakness we were sure that he would be the next Triple Crown winner. Nothing is for sure in horse racing. Second is all we could get.
For the next 17 years I dutifully woke early on Belmont Stakes Day to travel to Elmont, New York in hopes I would see the next Triple Crown winner. With each year our group changed as their family obligations changed. Each year as the sun set over Belmont Park and we waited for the traffic to ease we promised ourselves this would be the last year. Early in the next year as the snow blanketed the northeast our group dreamed of the warm Belmont Stakes days and began inquiring about the plans and reserved seats needed. As much as we loved the race, we felt under a curse to keep going and being disappointed. The celebration finally came in 2015 when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown. True to our age-old promise the group has never again attended the Belmont Stakes We watched Justify captured the Crown from our homes.
With over 43 Belmont Stakes notched in my belt I anxiously await the next Triple Crown winner but not with the energy I had in the early years. During years of organizing the picnics I enjoyed every minute, although complaining too frequently until I reunited the next year with my horse racing friends. Memory of Silver Charm has stayed with me. A few years ago, I visited Old Friends, an amazing retirement community for Thoroughbred racehorses established by Michael Blowen. Michael must have known of my tryst with Silver Charm. He took me over to a paddock fence where this old, white-haired horse ambled up. Michael introduced me to Silver Charm ---both of us were grey in the jaw. At Old Friends he was living his retirement with the grace and comfort he deserved. My love for racing had come full circle. I had met the horse that had cemented my love for the sport. This year I will watch the Belmont Stakes from home knowing a Triple Crown is not on the line. Yet cheering-on the winner will still be part of my Belmont Day ritual.