PHOTO: EMPIRE STATE BUILDING THIS MORNING

**Please see the attached photo of, from left to right, Sammy Grossman, NYRA track bugler, Alexis Barba, trainer for Belmont Stakes contender Make Music for Me, Richard Baltis, assistant trainer for Betfair TVG Acorn contender Champagne d’Oro, and Andy Durnin, exercise rider for Make Music for Me, at the top of the Empire State Building this morning**

 

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

 

Contact: Dan Silver

dsilver@nyrainc.com

 

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING WILL SHINE GREEN AND WHITE

TO CELEBRATE THE BELMONT STAKES

 

ELMONT, N.Y. - The Empire State Building will honor the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) shining its world-famous tower lights in green and white on Friday, June 4, 2010 in celebration of 142nd running of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the prestigious Triple Crown.

 

In addition, on Tuesday, June 1, at 10:30 a.m. EDT, there was a photo opportunity at the Empire State Building with trainer Alexis Barba and NYRA Bugler Sammy Grossman.

 

Barba will enter Make Music for Me into the Belmont Stakes fresh off his fourth place finish in the Kentucky Derby. The California-based Barba seeks to become the first female trainer to win the prestigious third leg of the Triple Crown. Linda Rice, who last year became the first female to win the Saratoga Race Course training title, is the most recent woman to saddle a Belmont Stakes starter; 2003 fifth place finisher Supervisor. Barba will become the ninth female trainer to enter a horse into the Belmont Stakes.

 

Grossman has been the official bugler at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course for the last 18 years. In addition, he has performed at Madison Square Garden and Yankees Stadium, among other venues.

 

About the Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is the third leg of thoroughbred racing’s prestigious Triple Crown, also comprising the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. The Belmont Stakes is held on an annual basis at Belmont Park in early June, with the 142^nd running being held this year on Saturday, June 5. Only eleven horses have swept the Triple Crown, with the most recent being Affirmed in 1978. Belmont Park is operated by The New York Racing Association, Inc., which also operates Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, NY and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga, NY. Visit www.BelmontStakes.com, the official online home of the Belmont Stakes, for more information.

 

About the Empire State Building

Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building is the “World’s Most Famous Office Building.”  With new investments in infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world.  The skyscraper’s robust broadcasting technology supports all major television and FM radio stations in the New York metropolitan market. The Empire State Building was named America’s favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. The Empire State Building Observatory is one of the world’s most beloved attractions and is the region’s #1 tourist destination. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit www.esbnyc.com.

 

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