Betty's Critters - & History Views

 Dornoch became the third winner of a Triple Crown race in 2024, while racing the winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.  The third leg of the 2024 was run at Saratoga this year due to rebuilding at Belmont Park, and the Belmont Stakes was shortened from the traditional 1 and 1/2 miles down to 1 and 1/4 miles - the same length as the Kentucky Derby.  The purse for the race was a cool $2 million.    Surprisingly, the second-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, Sierra Leone, was the betting favorite in the field of ten colts.  Unfortunately, Sierra Leone stumbled coming out of the starting gate, and then was bumped hard when he caught up with the back of the field.  Seize the Grey, winner of the Preakness, took the early lead and ran the quarter in 22.99 seconds, the half in 47.25 seconds, and the 3/4 in 1:10.67.  That's when Dornach, who had been in second place following the gray colt for the first 6 furlongs, started to move up.  ...

 This year's running of the 155th edition of the Belmont Stakes will, once again, have an asterisk beside it.  The Belmont Stakes began running at old Jerome Park in 1867, and the first winner of the Belmont was a filly named Ruthless.  Horse racing was banned in New York state in the years 1911 and 1912, and the race was not run.  It had been run at various distances between 1867 and 1920, but in 1921 it was decided that the length of the Belmont Stakes would be 1 and 1/2 miles (12 furlongs) and would stay at that length.  The 12 furlong length was decided to be used as a "grueling test of champions" as the climax of the Triple Crown races.  If a thoroughbred could run and win at 10 furlongs on the first Saturday in May in Kentucky; run and win a race of 9.5 furlongs two weeks later in Maryland; and then run and win a race of 12 furlongs on the track known as "Big Sandy" in New York 5 weeks after the first one - then that horse was truly  a champion ....

 Arcangelo, the gray/roan ridgling son of Arrogate won the 1 and 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes in 2:29.23 today.  In doing so, he made history for his trainer, Jena M. Antonucci.  His win made Ms. Antonucci the first female trainer to win the Belmont Stakes.  This was the 15th time that Javier Castellano had been in the irons for the Belmont Stakes, and this was his first win, too.  Not to mention a dead heat for 4th place, making 2 superfecta payouts...  A day of firsts. Arcangelo wins the 155th Belmont Stakes   National Treasure, the front-running winner of the Preakness, led the way for much of the race.  The first quarter was run in 23.63 seconds; the half in 47.69; and 3/4s in 1:12.56; then the others came running.  Arcangelo was the best, winning by 1 and 1/2 lengths over Forte, who was a nose in front of Tapit Trice.  three-quarters of a length behind Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire and Hit Show were a dead heat for 4th place.   ...

 Nine 3-year-old colts will face each other (if there are no scratches) in the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, 10 June 2023.  Each colt will carry 126 pounds once around the 1 and 1/2 mile oval of "Big Sandy," which is also known as the Graveyard of Champions after several champion horses were defeated there by relative unknowns (ie: Onion beat Secretariat).  The 3-year-olds will be making the longest race in their life, and probably for their entire racing career.  The race is a full mile and a half (12 furlongs), and has a purse of $1,500,000.  Post time is scheduled for 6:50 EDT (4:50 MDT). Forte is the early betting favorite for the Belmont   Mage, who won the Kentucky Derby and finished third in the Preakness, is not running in the Belmont.  Of the nine horses in Saturday's field, 3 ran in the Derby and 2 ran in the Preakness.  None of them ran in both of the first legs of the Triple Crown.  Angel of Empire finished 3rd ...

 When the starting gate opened, Mo Donegal, the bay three-year-old son of Uncle Mo never looked back.  He just kept on running, and running, and running.  He left the gate as the betting favorite, and he proved the crowd at Belmont Park correct.  We The People  and Skippylongstocking hooked up at the start and ran each other out of the race.  Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike was running last for the first mile, and he never really fired.  His trainer had decided to keep him off the rail for the entire race, and Ritchie spent the entire race trying to go to the rail, and fighting his jockey.    In the stretch, with We The People and Skippylongstocking still dueling, Mo Donegal rolled past them with one furlong to run; then stablemate Nest, the filly, rolled past the two former leaders as well.  The spaces between the finishers was amazing, other than the 3 lengths that Mo Donegal won by.  And each horse took home a paycheck from the...

The 154th running of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, will enter the starting gate at 6:44 EDT (4:44 MDT) on Saturday.  This will be the 111th running at Belmont Park.  It's a Grade 1 race, with a guaranteed purse of $1.5 million for the 7 three-year-old colts and a filly who will be running (unless there is a scratch due to illness or injury).  The main dirt track at Belmont is known as "Big Sandy" and one full circuit covers one and a half miles - the length of this race.  Unless one of these colts turns out to be a true distance runner, this will be the longest race they'll ever run. All of the colts will carry 126 pounds - the lone filly gets a five pound allowance and will carry 121 pounds. Nest, the filly, galloping at Churchill Downs    All eight entries were bred in Kentucky.  There are four bays, two chestnuts, and two gray/roans entered.  Nest, the filly, was second in the Kentucky Oaks the day before the Derby....