| Horse Race Track | |
|---|---|
| Belmont Park | |
 |
|
| Location | Elmont, New York |
| Owned by | New York Racing Association |
| Date opened | May 4, 1905 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Website | www.nyra.com |
| Principal Races | |
| Belmont Stakes (G1) | |
| Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) | |
| Manhattan Turf Handicap (G1) | |
| Metropolitan Handicap (G1) | |
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in the hamlet of Elmont, New York in Nassau County, Long Island in the Town of Hempstead. The Thoroughbred is a horse breed Elmont is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) as well as a bedroom suburb of New York City in Long Island, Nassau County New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous There is also a Town of Nassau in Rensselaer County. Nassau County is a suburban county in the New York Metropolitan Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches The Town of Hempstead is one of the three towns (otherwise known as Civil townships) in Nassau County, New York, United States. Its mile-and-a-half (2. 4 km) main track is the largest dirt course in Thoroughbred racing. It first opened May 4, 1905.
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History and Information
It is world-famous as the home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. The Belmont Stakes is a prestigious American Grade I stakes race held yearly in June at Belmont Park in Elmont New York. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (although sometimes shortened to Triple Crown, the full name is used to avoid possible confusion with other sports consists of three
Belmont is known as The Championship Track because most every major champion in racing history since the early 20th century has competed on the racecourse -- including each of the 11 Triple Crown winners.
In addition to its importance to racing, "Beautiful Belmont Park" is often called one of the best-landscaped venues in American sports -- especially because of the stately backyard park behind the grandstand, which includes the paddock in which the horses are saddled before each race. The backyard and backstretch are notable for their huge, attractive trees and landscaping, and the infield is dominated by two picturesque lakes.
With some of the elegant aura of its sister track, Saratoga Race Course, in a suburban setting, Belmont is known as one of the most gorgeous and accommodating racecourses in the world. History John Hunter who became the first chairman of The Jockey Club, and William R Along with Saratoga, Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Churchill Downs in Louisville, and Del Mar and Santa Anita racecourses in California, Belmont is considered one of the elite racetracks in the sport. History The track is named for John and Henry Churchill who leased 80 acres (320000 m² of land to their nephew Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr History and information When Del Mar opened in 1937 Bing Crosby was at the gate to personally greet the fans History Santa Anita Park was opened on December 25 1934 and is the oldest racetrack in Southern California
Belmont Park is operated by the non-profit New York Racing Association, as are Aqueduct and Saratoga Race Course. The New York Racing Association is the non-profit management group that runs the three largest Thoroughbred Horse-racing tracks in the state of New History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich History John Hunter who became the first chairman of The Jockey Club, and William R The group was formed in 1955 as the Greater New York Association to assume the assets of the individual associations that ran Belmont, Aqueduct, Saratoga and the now-defunct old Jamaica Racetrack (The Rochdale Village housing development now occupies the site of Jamaica). History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich History John Hunter who became the first chairman of The Jockey Club, and William R Jamaica Racetrack was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened at Jamaica Queens, New York on April 27 1903 by the Metropolitan
Expansion plans
In May 2007, reports surfaced indicating that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was considering closing Aqueduct Racetrack which is four miles west of Belmont in Ozone Park, New York and turning Belmont into a nearly year round race track when the New York Racing Association lease for all three of New York State's tracks expires at the end of 2007. Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer and former politician of the Democratic Party. History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich Ozone Park is a New York City neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond
According to the plans being discussed, Belmont's stands would be heated, additional barns built for Aqueduct's 400 horses, and the track being modified to accommodate winter racing. In addition, video lottery machines would be introduced. A new entity would operate Belmont from fall to spring while the New York Racing Association would operate Saratoga Race Course in the summer. History John Hunter who became the first chairman of The Jockey Club, and William R [1]
Belmont: The family and the stakes
The Belmont Stakes was named after financier and sportsman August Belmont, Sr., who helped fund the race, and most sources say the racetrack itself was also named for him. August Belmont Sr ( December 8 1813 - November 24 1890) was born in Alzey, Hesse, to a Jewish family Other sources say Belmont Park was named in honor of his son -- August Belmont II, a key member of the Westchester Racing Association, which established the racecourse. August Belmont Jr, ( February 18, 1853 - December 10, 1924) was an American financier the builder of New York's Belmont Park
The race was first run in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx. Jerome Park Racetrack was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1866 in the North-West end of Fordham Westchester Co In 1937, the wrought iron gates that bore an illustration of that first Belmont Stakes were donated to the track by August Belmont II's sole surviving son, Perry Belmont. The gates are now on the fourth floor of Belmont Park's clubhouse.
The Belmont Stakes races have been run at Belmont Park since 1905, with the exceptions of 1911-12, when racing was outlawed in New York State; and the 1963-67 editions, held at Aqueduct while the grandstands at Belmont Park were reconstructed. History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich The first post parade in the U.S. was at the 14th Belmont, in 1880. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Secretariat's finishing time in his 1973 Belmont victory (2 minutes, 24 seconds) set a world record for 1½ miles (2. Secretariat ( March 30, 1970 &ndash October 4, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred Racehorse. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1973 in athletics (track and field Marathon September 414 km) on dirt, a world record which still stands. The 31-length victory clinched the first Triple Crown in 25 years, dating back to Citation in 1948. Citation ( April 11, 1945 - August 8, 1970) was the eighth American Thoroughbred Horse-racing Triple Crown Athletics Marathon December 5 &mdash Fukuoka Marathon, Japan Men's Winner Saburo A statue of Secretariat is in the center of the Belmont paddock.
Another Belmont Stakes achievement is recognized by the "Woody's Corner" display in the first-floor clubhouse lobby, commemorating the five consecutive Belmont Stakes winners trained by the legendary Woody Stephens from 1982-86. Woody Stephens ( September 1, 1913 - August 22, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer
Other memorable performances in Belmont Park history include the opening of the track in 1905 with the famous dead heat between Sysonby and Race King in the Met Cap. To tie or draw is to finish a Competition with identical or inconclusive results Born in Kentucky in 1902 Sysonby, was an American Thoroughbred Racehorse, the son of the 1885 Epsom Derby winner Melton out The Metropolitan Handicap is an American Grade I stakes race for Thoroughbred horses of either gender three-years-old and above In 1923, Belmont Park was host to an international duel between the American and English champions: Zev, winner of the Kentucky Derby, against Papyrus, winner of the Epsom Derby. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Zev (1920-1943 was an American thoroughbred horse racing champion The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three year-old thoroughbred horses held annually in Louisville Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May The Derby Stakes, known colloquially as The Derby or internationally as the Epsom Derby, is considered one of the most prestigious flat Thoroughbred horse races Zev won by five lengths in front of the biggest crowd for a match race in a hundred years.
Belmont Park was the site of the tragedy-marred victory of Foolish Pleasure over champion filly Ruffian in a 1975 match race. Foolish Pleasure ( 1972 - 1994) is an American bay Thoroughbred Race horse who was one of the top three three-year-old colts Ruffian ( April 17 1972 - July 7 1975) was an American champion Thoroughbred Racehorse, considered to be one Ruffian broke down during the race and had to be euthanized; she is buried near the finish line in the infield at Belmont Park, her nose pointed towards the finish pole.
The racetrack was also the site of Affirmed's epic stretch duel with Alydar in the 1978 Belmont Stakes, a victory that gave Affirmed the Triple Crown; and Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew's defeat of Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup in September of that same year. Affirmed ( February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was an American Thoroughbred race Horse who was the eleventh Alydar ( March 23, 1975, Calumet Farm - November 15, 1990) was a chestnut colt and an American Thoroughbred Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Nikolai Andrianov, USSR Seattle Slew ( February 15, 1974 &ndash May 7, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred race Horse who won the The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont New York. The Marlboro, a key event of the Fall Championship meets in the 1970s and 1980s, included a dramatic come-from-behind win by Forego in the 1976 installment. Forego (1970-1997 was a highly successful American Thoroughbred Racehorse.
Other key races at Belmont
In addition to the Belmont Stakes, other major races held at Belmont have included the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Woodward Stakes, the Suburban Handicap and the Memorial Day standby — the Metropolitan Handicap, also known as the "Met Mile. The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919 is a prestigious Thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older Thoroughbred horses in the United States. The Suburban Handicap is an American Grade I stakes race for Thoroughbred Race horses aged three and older run at the classic one-and-one-quarter The Metropolitan Handicap is an American Grade I stakes race for Thoroughbred horses of either gender three-years-old and above " (NYRA moved the Woodward to Saratoga in 2006. )
Two important races for fillies, the Mother Goose Stakes and the Coaching Club American Oaks, are also run at Belmont as the first two installments of the New York Racing Association's Triple Tiara series for fillies. The Mother Goose Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont New York The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for Thoroughbred three-year old fillies run at a mile and a quarter on the Belmont Park dirt The third is the Alabama Stakes, run at Saratoga. The Alabama Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies. In years past, the New York Filly Triple Crown consisted of the Mother Goose, CCA Oaks and another Belmont race, the Acorn Stakes (which is still run at the track). The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies.
All of the above races are contested on dirt; notable turf (grass) races include the Bowling Green Handicap, Man O' War Stakes, Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational. The Bowling Green Handicap is a turf race for Thoroughbred horses open to three-year-olds and up who are willing to race the one and three-eighths miles The Man o' War Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont New York. The Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes is an American Grade I race for Thoroughbred fillies and mares on the turf The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational is an American Grade I stakes race on turf established in 1977 for Thoroughbred racehorses
Belmont's Fall Championship meet includes New York Showcase Day in late October, with seven stakes races for New York-bred horses. The richest race on that program is the $250,000 Empire Classic.
Belmont Breeze
The official drink of the Belmont Stakes is the Belmont Breeze, created by Dale DeGroff in 1997 and served every year since at the Triple Crown, although it did not have its own commemorative glass until June 7, 2003, the year that Funny Cide was New York's most promising prospect. Funny Cide (born April 20 2000 is a Thoroughbred Race horse who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003 The recipe for the Belmont Breeze is:
- BELMONT BREEZE
- original drink by Dale DeGroff
- 1½ oz. Jack Daniel’s or Seagram's 7
- ¾ oz. Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry
- ½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 oz. Simple Syrup
- 1 ½ oz. Fresh Orange juice
- 1 ½ oz. Cranberry juice
- Shake all ingredients with ice and top with half 7UP and half soda, approximately one ounce of each. Garnish with fresh strawberry and a mint sprig and a lemon piece.
Old Belmont Park
August Belmont, Jr and William Collins Whitney along with other investors built the original Belmont race track which opened on May 4, 1905. August Belmont Jr, ( February 18, 1853 - December 10, 1924) was an American financier the builder of New York's Belmont Park William Collins Whitney ( July 5, 1841 - February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and Financier and founder of Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting In its first 15 or so years, Belmont Park featured racing clockwise, in the "English fashion" --allowing the upper-class members of the racing association and their guests to have the races finish in front of the clubhouse, just to the west of the grandstand. (A "field stand," at what was then the top of the stretch, was located east of the grandstand). The original finish line was located at the top of the present-day homestretch.
The old clubhouse was torn down in the 1950s, along with the Manice Mansion -- the turreted 19th-century homestead that served as the headquarters of Belmont's Turf and Field Club.
A later innovation was created by Joseph E. Widener, who took over track leadership when August Belmont II died in 1924: the Widener Course. Joseph Early Widener ( August 19, 1871 &ndash October 26, 1943) was a wealthy American Art collector who was a founding It was a straightaway of just under seven furlongs (1,408 m) that cut diagonally through Belmont’s training and main tracks, hitting near the quarter-pole of the main track. The course was removed in 1958.
There are presently two features of Old Belmont Park remaining today. First is the display of four stone pillars on Hempstead Turnpike, a gift from the Mayor and Park Commissioners of the City of Charleston, S.C. The pillars had stood at the entrance of the Washington Course of the South Carolina Jockey Club in Charleston, S. New York State Route 24 ( NY 24) is a State highway in New York that exists in two sections Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. C. , which operated from 1792 to 1882. The stone pillars are now found at the clubhouse entrance. Lesser known-but more visible-are the racing motif iron railings seen partially bordering the walking ring. The railings, used as decoration on the south side of the old Belmont grandstand, were salvaged during the 1963 demolition.
The original Belmont Park was not only unprecedented in its size, but also had the then-new innovation of a Long Island Rail Road extension from the Queens Village station, running along the property, tunneling under Hempstead Turnpike, then terminating on the south side of the property. Queens Village is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road, located between 218th Street and Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village The train terminal was moved to its present location north of the turnpike after the 1956 season. Belmont Park is a seasonal-use Long Island Rail Road station on the grounds of the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont New York.
Near the railroad terminal was yet another track -- Belmont Park Terminal, a steeplechase course operated by United Hunts until the 1920s.
In addition to racing history, Belmont Park made history in another industry native to the Hempstead Plains -- aviation. Some 150,000 people were drawn to the track on Oct. 30, 1910 at the climax of the a Wright Brothers-staged international aerial tournament, which had started eight years earlier. The event came at the beginning of a period (1910, 1911 and 1912) in which racing was outlawed in New York State.
Eight years later, Belmont and aviation were reunited when the racetrack served as the northern point of the first US air mail route, between the New York area and Washington, DC.
Today, two art displays in the clubhouse of the current Belmont Park commemorate the history of the racetrack -- a long mural by Pierre Bellocq featuring the dominant jockeys, trainers and racing personalities of the track's history; and a series of paintings of Old Belmont Park that were featured at a nearby restaurant before the eatery closed.
Belmont Park today
The last race at the old Belmont Park was run in October 1962. The following spring, NYRA Chairman James Cox Brady announced that two separate engineering surveys found the grandstand/clubhouse was unsafe due to age-induced structural defects and needed to be rebuilt. The book Belmont Park: A Century of Champions, noted the comment of NYRA President Edward T. Dickinson: "When you sighted down the stands, you could see some of the beams were twisted. They were in something of an S-shape. "
The old structure was demolished in 1963, with the new grandstand being built 1964-1968 (the Inner Turf Course was also added during this time). The Belmont race meetings were moved to Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, during that time. History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich Ozone Park is a New York City neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond
The new $30. 7 million Belmont Park grandstand, designed by Arthur Froehlich, was opened May 20, 1968 and is the largest in Thoroughbred racing. It has a total attendance capacity of more than 100,000, with the adjoining backyard being able to accommodate more than 10,000. The seating portion totals nearly 33,000. (Ironically, the smaller, more cramped Churchill Downs grandstand has more seats than Belmont, 51,000. ) Unlike Churchill and Pimlico, Belmont does not allow paying spectators to picnic in the infield. Physical attributes The track has a one-mile dirt oval and a seven Furlong turf oval
Racing at Belmont Park is conducted in two annual installments, or "meetings": The "spring-summer meeting," which usually begins on the second Wednesday in May and lasts through the fourth Sunday in July, followed by a "fall meeting" commencing on the Friday after Labor Day and ending the fourth Sunday in October. Labor Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September Racing is held at Saratoga during the time between these two meetings. Prior to 1977 a summer meeting was contested at Aqueduct from mid-June until Saratoga began; its abolition led to the Belmont spring meeting being lengthened to its present duration (and eventual renaming).
The autumn installment is known as the Fall Championship meet, since many of the eventual Eclipse Award title winners have earned key victories in some of the meeting's races, such as the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919 is a prestigious Thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up Before the advent of the Breeders' Cup series in the mid-1980s, the Belmont Fall Championship races themselves helped determine the divisional championships. The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited a company formed in 1982
Belmont has been home to the daylong Breeders' Cup championship in 1990, 1995, 2001 (the first major sports event to be held after the September 11 Attacks in the metropolitan area) and most recently in 2005. The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited a company formed in 1982
Belmont's backyard is well-known as a gathering place for racing fans to see their horses saddled before they hit the track. The center of the paddock is dominated by a white pine that predated the track itself -- it turned 180 years old in 2006. A stylized version of the pine has been the centerpiece of Belmont Park's corporate logo since 1968.
The paddock area also serves as a picnic area for the increasing numbers of fans who make Belmont Stakes Day — the Saturday that falls within the range of June 5 through June 11 — a tourist attraction. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes.
Officials of the New York Racing Association made a concerted effort to boost attendance on Belmont Stakes Day after the 1995 installment drew only 37,171. In 1997, NYRA and local officials put together the Long Island Belmont Stakes Festival -- featuring parades, food fests and other events in surrounding communities to promote the big race.
The effort succeeded in creating a buzz around the Belmont Stakes apart from the chance of seeing a Triple Crown. The 2000 and 2001 Belmonts -- both run when there was no Crown on the line -- drew announced crowds of 67,810 and 73,857. The Belmont Stakes Festival continues to be held in communities near the track, such as Floral Park and Garden City.
In 2008, there will be an expected 120,000+ people that will attend the Belmont Stakes to see if Big Brown can be the first triple crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
Belmont Park and Long Island
The racetrack, grandstand, training and barn facilities are located entirely in the community of Elmont in Nassau County, New York. Elmont is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) as well as a bedroom suburb of New York City in Long Island, Nassau County New York There is also a Town of Nassau in Rensselaer County. Nassau County is a suburban county in the New York Metropolitan According to the City of New York's own map portal, the Long Island Rail Road station on the property, the ramp between the grandstand and the train station, and some of the adjoining parking fields straddle the Queens County line. Belmont Park is a seasonal-use Long Island Rail Road station on the grounds of the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont New York.
Belmont Park has direct on- and off-ramps to the Cross Island Parkway, which runs north-south and is just to the west of the park. Cross Island Parkway, also known as the 100th Infantry Division Parkway, is a Parkway within New York State. Belmont Park's physical address is given as 2150 Hempstead Turnpike (New York State Route 24). New York State Route 24 ( NY 24) is a State highway in New York that exists in two sections
The Belmont Park property originally totalled some 650 acres (2. 6 km²). Because the property stretched slightly into Queens, bookmakers in the track's early days -- when bookmaking was illegal -- could escape arrest from one county's authorities by jumping over the border. It was once even believed that horses rounding the far turn crossed into Queens and then came back to Nassau for the stretch run.
After the 1956 season, the construction of a wider bus road beyond the main course's final turn forced the turn to be shortened. According to the Belmont publication commemorating the track's 1968 reopening, that move cut 96 feet (29 m) off its circumference. The current layout has the entire racing course inside Nassau County.
Belmont Park being located in Elmont is a coincidence. The western Nassau County hamlet is not named for the track's founding family. Administrative divisions of New York State differ from those in certain other countries and most U Residents decided to change the area's name from Foster's Meadow to Elmont in 1882, 23 years before Belmont's inaugural. Probably since Elmont was a new, relatively unknown community, the Opening Day program in 1905 carries the legend "Queens, Long Island" -- for Queens Village, the established community closest to the property. Queens Village is a middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, covering the zip codes 11427 ( Hollis Hills) 11428 (central Nassau County, in which virtually all the Belmont property is located, had just been established six years earlier.
Belmont Park and popular culture
A January 1975 episode of the ABC sitcom The Odd Couple -- entitled "Felix the Horse Player" -- was filmed partly at Belmont Park, though one of the race clips on the show features the shot of an Aqueduct starting gate. The Odd Couple is a Television Situation comedy broadcast from September 24, 1970 to July 4, 1975
A few years later, Dick Cavett took the camera crew of his PBS talk show to Belmont for a look at horse racing. Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born November 19, 1936) is an American former Television Talk show host known for his conversational The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the
Scenes for the Woody Allen movies Mighty Aphrodite and Melinda and Melinda were shot at Belmont Park, as was a paddock scene for the 1990s remake of the film Gloria with Sharon Stone and George C. Mighty Aphrodite is a 1995 American Comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. Melinda and Melinda is a 2005 Film written and directed by Woody Allen. Gloria is a 1980 film written and directed by John Cassavetes. Scott.
Belmont Park was featured in an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond", where Frank, Robert and Ray bet on a horse named "Maria's Mouth". Everybody Loves Raymond is an Emmy Award -winning American Television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13
Because of Belmont's role hosting big, nationally-televised races on broadcast and cable TV, its track announcers have been among the best known in the sport. Among the famous race callers who've served as Belmont PA announcers are Fred Capossela, Dave Johnson, Chic Anderson, Marshall Cassidy and present voice Tom Durkin. Dave Johnson is an American Announcer and Sportscaster, best known for his work in Horse racing with ABC and NBC Sports Charles David (Chic Anderson ( December 17, 1931 - March 24, 1979) was an American Sportscaster and Public address Marshall Cassidy (1945 -) is an American Thoroughbred racing official based in New York State, and a former Public address announcer and Tom Durkin (born 1950 is an American Sportscaster and Public address announcer specializing in Thoroughbred Horse racing.
Comedian Robert Klein made Capossella's race calls the subject of one of his routines, captured on his 1974 album Mind Over Matter. Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American Stand-up comedian and Actor.
Contrary to popular belief, Johnson -- not Anderson -- was Belmont Park's PA announcer during Secretariat's 1973 romp in the Belmont Stakes. It was on TV that Anderson called the '73 Belmont Stakes aired by CBS Television. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Anderson was the TV "voice of horse racing" in the 1970s and the announcer at Churchill Downs, where he famously described Big Red as "moving like a tremendous machine". Johnson went on to be TV's voice of horse racing be in the 1990s.
Anderson would succeed Johnson as announcer at Belmont and the other NYRA tracks in May 1977, serving until his death on March 24, 1979. Anderson was followed by frequent backup voice Marshall Cassidy, who was the lead caller of NYRA races until Durkin replaced him in September 1990.
Sources: New York Racing Association (NYRA), City of New York
Physical Attributes
The 430 acre (1. 7 km²) racing, training and barn complex is located on the western edge of the Nassau County region known as the Hempstead Plains. Just a few miles east on the same plains, the first racing meet in North America was held in 1665, supervised by colonial governor Richard Nicolls.
The dirt racecourse — known officially as the Main Track and nicknamed Big Sandy by racing followers — has a circumference of 1½ miles (2,414 m). Immediately inside of this is the Widener Turf Course (named after the Widener family that has a long and prestigious history in American horse racing) spanning 1 5/16 miles plus 27 feet (2,120 m), which in turn rings an Inner Turf Course 1 3/16 miles plus 103 feet (1,942 m) round. On the Main Track, it is 1,097 feet (334 m) from the top of the stretch to the finish line, and the segment between the wire and the start of the first (clubhouse) turn covers 843 feet (257 m) (this latter segment is shorter by approximately 165 feet [50 m] on both of the turf courses, in order to accommodate the two chutes that exist on the Widener Turf Course, from which turf races of one mile [1,609 m] and 1 1/16 miles [1,710 m] are started; an additional chute exists for 1 1/16-mile [1,710 m] races on the inner turf course). In Horse racing, the term chute refers to an extended path increasing the length of a straight portion of a racecourse particularly an oval-shaped one allowing races of a specified
According to June 2005 research of several sources, including the Daily Racing Form and Newsday, Belmont has the largest dirt racecourse of any Thoroughbred track in not only North America but the world -- a mile and a half (2414 m). Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto has a grass course of the same size; however it is outside of the dirt track, making Woodbine the only North American track of which this is true. History The current Woodbine carries the name originally used by a racetrack which operated in east Toronto at Queen Street East and Kingston Road from 1874 through 1993 Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario
By comparison, the King Abdul Aziz racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has a mile-and-a-quarter (2,012 m) main track (as does Colonial Downs in Virginia), while Aqueduct is a mile and an eighth (1,811 m). King Saud King Faisal Mohammed King Khaled Nasr Saad Riyadh ( الرياض Ar-Riyāḍ) is the Capital of Saudi Arabia and its largest city The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi History and information The track opened on September 1, 1997. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich (Other grass courses in Europe have been longer, and Saudi Arabian racing once featured a course in old Riyadh from nine to 12 miles (14 to 19 km) in length).
See also
External links
References
The New York Racing Association is the non-profit management group that runs the three largest Thoroughbred Horse-racing tracks in the state of New History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959 the 1959 design was by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich of the architecture firm Arthur Froehlich History John Hunter who became the first chairman of The Jockey Club, and William RDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic