TurfPublicists: CHAMPIONSHIP THOROUGHBRED ACTION RETURNS TO BELMONT PARK

Monday, September 3, 2012

Contact: Jenny Kellner

CHAMPIONSHIP THOROUGHBRED ACTION RETURNS TO BELMONT PARK

ELMONT, N.Y. – The summer stars of Saratoga Race Course have their sights set on Belmont Park this fall, with champions-in-the-making vying in 21 graded stakes beginning Saturday, September 8.

Grade 1 Woodward hero To Honor and Serve and runner-up Mucho Macho Man, Grade 1 Forego winner Emcee, Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational victor Point of Entry, Grade 1 Prioress heroine Emma’s Encore, and Grade 1 Personal Ensign Invitational winner Love and Pride, along with It’s Tricky, Shackleford and juvenile stars such as Kauai Katie, Spurious Precision, and Bern Identity all are likely to be stakes-bound at Belmont, which features the Grade 2, $200,000 Bowling Green Handicap on opening day.

In celebration of racing’s return to the greater New York metropolitan area, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is offering free grandstand admission all weekend. Clubhouse admission will be offered at the reduced price of $2 during opening weekend.

The centerpiece of Belmont’s 37-day meet is Super Saturday, September 29, highlighted by the 94^th running of the Grade 1, $1 million TVG Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational. The 1 ¼-mile race, often a preview of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is supported by four additional Grade 1 events: the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, the $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational for fillies and mares on the turf, the $400,000 Beldame Invitational for fillies and mares, and the $400,000 Vosburgh Invitational for sprinters, along with the Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso Handicap at a mile on the main track.

All the Super Saturday graded stakes races are Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” races, which means the winners earn automatic entry into the corresponding Breeders’ Cup races, to be held at Santa Anita Park on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3.

The following weekend offers up-and-coming juveniles four more “Win and You’re In” races for the Breeders’ Cup. On Saturday, October 6, 2-year-olds compete in the Grade 1, $400,000 Foxwoods Champagne and the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette for juvenile fillies, and on Sunday, October 7, in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pilgrim and the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Grillo for fillies, both on the turf.

Also on October 6 is the Grade 1, $400,000 Jamaica for 3-year-olds on the turf.

New York-breds get their chance to shine on New York Showcase Day, Saturday, October 20, with seven stakes for the top horses bred in the Empire State, capped by the $250,000 Empire Classic.

With live racing generally conducted Wednesdays through Sundays, and a first race post time of 1 p.m., grandstand admission is $3 after opening weekend. Clubhouse admission is $5, while children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. General parking is free, with preferred parking $2 and valet parking $5. For information on the Belmont Park fall meet, please visit nyra.com or call (516) 488-6000.

Racing excitement doesn’t stop for dark days, with simulcast and wagering action available seven days a week at the Belmont Café and at Aqueduct Racetrack’s simulcast areas. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, the simulcast areas are open from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 7:30 p.m., on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to approximately 11 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. until approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.

On weekends during the month of September, fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of thoroughbred racing with the popular “Breakfast at Belmont Park” program from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Admission and activities, including guided tram tours of Belmont’s remarkable stable area, trackside commentary of live morning workouts, starting gate demonstrations and paddock show, are free and breakfast is available for purchase.

The Pick the Pros and Ponies contest returns this fall beginning Sunday, September 9. Fans can enjoy the races at Belmont Park, and catch all the Sunday football action. For the weekly contest, entrants must select the winners of four designated football games, plus Races 3 and 5, to win $1,000.

A variety of live bands will rock Belmont’s Backyard Stage in the afternoons on seven separate days, beginning with Hot Mess on opening day, Saturday, September 8. Also scheduled to appear are The Mark Newman Band (September 15), The Darin Brown Band (September 22), Drive (September 29), Shannon Breeze (October 6), TTR: The Two Tenors of Rock (Columbus Day, October 8) and The Electrix: Grateful Dead Tribute Band (October 20).

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