Belmont Stakes is first race up in Triple Crown series
In any other year, thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown would be done, but the COVID19 pandemic has rendered 2020 anything but normal for all sports.
For the first time since 1931, the Triple Crown won’t consist of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in that order. Instead, the series begins with the Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park in New York.
The Kentucky Derby, normally run on the first Saturday in May, will be held Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. The Preakness, usually run two weeks after the Derby, will be run Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Historically, the Belmont Stakes is run three weeks after the Preakness, but that couldn’t happen this year because it would have been too close to the Breeders’ Cup races Nov. 67 at
Keeneland in Kentucky.
Because of the schedule change, the Belmont Stakes was shortened from 1½ miles (one lap around the sweeping Belmont Park main track) to 1
1⁄8 miles — meaning it’s a oneturn race beginning in a chute on the backstretch.
Watering down the race even more is the fact that five of the top 3yearolds are not among Saturday’s 10horse field. Nadal, Charlatan and Maxfield — all undefeated Grade 1 winners — are injured. Honor A. P. and Authentic ran 12 in the Santa Anita Derby on June 6.
“I’m just happy we’re going to have a Belmont and we’re going to have or at least I hope we’re going to have a Preakness and the Derby,” said Mark Casse, who trains Belmont Stakes contender Tap It to Win. “So whatever order it’s in, that’s good.”
Tap It to Win comes off of a fast frontrunning allowance victory going 11⁄16 miles June 4 in his first start at Belmont Park. He has won three of six overall but was wellbeaten in both stakes appearances in 2019.
The star of Saturday’s race clearly is twotime Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law, the 6to5 morningline favorite whose only loss in five starts came on a sloppy track. He is owned by Sackatoga Stable and trained by Barclay Tagg — the connections who brought us 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide.
“You know, Barclay doesn’t get the kind of horses like Funny Cide and Tiz the Law very often,” said Jack Knowlton, who started Sackatoga Stable in 1995 with high school friends from Sackets Harbor, N.Y. “But when he does get an opportunity, he makes the most of it.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher has had 100 starters in Triple Crown races with four wins in the Belmont and two in the Kentucky Derby. He runs Farmington Road and Dr Post in Saturday’s race.
“I don’t think there’s any question that at the end of 2020 you can put a big asterisk by the whole year and the Triple Crown is certainly part of that,” Pletcher said. “I don’t think it would take away from the accomplishments of a single horse if they were to win one, two or three legs of it. These are still very difficult races to win, but it’s clearly not the same as trying to do it all in five weeks at three different distances, culminating with the mileandahalf Belmont.”