Face it: America’s love of horse racing is a fickle thing. Most of the year, we roundly ignore it. Then, come springtime, we go absolutely ga-ga over the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes – especially when a horse has a chance to cop the Triple Crown. This year, that horse is I’ll Have Another, and the make-or-break venue is Belmont Park this Saturday, June 9.
The last horse to do the trick was Affirmed, and that was back in 1978. To put things in perspective, that was the year Roger Staubach quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos.
The pundits say the animal with the best chance of besting I’ll Have Another, of thwarting the terrific thoroughbred’s Triple Crown bid, is Dullahan.
Watching this all unfold on TV is nice, but being at Belmont is best – soaking up the pageantry, the panache of the week preceding the big race.
Here are some things you might want to consider:
- Friday, June 8 the Garden City Belmont Festival takes over Seventh Street in Garden City, N.J. from 6-10 p.m. Dance and live music liven up the Jersey night, but the really big deal is the Wing-Off – a chicken wing competition.
- Another pre-race favorite is the Belmont Stakes Eve Concert, also in Garden City. The Cold Spring Harbor Band heads the bill at Your Mother’s House restaurant.
Appetite properly whetted, the main course is served up at Belmont Park Saturday with the 144th running of the legendary Belmont Stakes. Whether it’s I’ll Have Another, Dullahan or one of the field’s lesser lights, throw yourself into the mood of the thing and there’s no way you can lose. Just watch those chicken wings.
(Image: JGNY)
