Belmont Park

“…It’s Secretariat by 10, Secretariat by 15…Secretariat, moving like a tremendous machine…”

“…Alydar takes the lead… Alydar put his head in front right in the middle of the stretch…”

“…It’s New York’s, Easy Goer, in front…”

“…And Tiznow wins it for America…!”

“… birdstone wins the belmont stakes …”

The descriptions of race callers Chic Anderson, Marshall Cassidy, and Tom Durkin, recalling only a handful of examples of the essential history of Belmont Park and a plethora of monumental events that transpired between its fences.

So it is appropriate to think of America’s biggest racetrack hosting the country’s biggest racing moments: a never-to-be topped winning Belmont Stakes margin and clocking; the greatest moment in the history of the greatest rivalry of the modern era; revenge for a bitter, narrow Preakness defeat; America’s horse defeating a foreign rival in New York’s first post-911 event, and the near-muted tones of a race caller acknowledging how racing sometimes can break your heart.

Belmont Park is not only the biggest but it was also the first. Not far from the grounds upon which it stands in Elmont, New York are the Plains of Hempstead to the east where, in 1665, the first race meet in America was conducted and supervised by a colonial governor, Richard Nicholls.

The original racetrack was built at the dawn of the 20th Century, May 4, 1905, under the direction of its two prominent founders, August Belmont Jr and William Collins Whitney who, with partners, organized the Westchester Racing Association.

Indeed, the first Belmont Stakes was run at Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx and has been renewed every year since, the gambling ban of 1911-12 and five years of reconstruction notwithstanding, sister track Aqueduct stepping into the breach from 1964 through 1968.

Designed to emulate the great race course in Paris, France, Belmont earned its first nickname, “the Longchamp of America.” Such was the founder’s intent that racing was conducted in the English fashion, clockwise, for many years. Those races ended where the top of the current homestretch begins.

The widest track in America at 1-1/2 miles in diameter. In 1924, an innovation was made by new chairman Joseph E. Widener who constructed a 7-furlong straight course in that ran diagonally across Belmont’s huge infield from the training track to main track. The Widener Chute was removed 34 years later.

Despite its width, Belmont Park originally was constructed with a chute so that it was possible to run mile and-a-quarter races around one turn. Eventually, those races were eliminated, but Belmont still makes use of the chute for 9-furlong events.

Inside Belmont’s huge oval, aka “Big Sandy,” a nod to the composition of the main dirt track over which “The Test of the Champion” is run, is the 1-5/16-miles Widener Turf Course and inside that, the Inner Turf of 1-3/16 miles.

Given the realities of live racing in the 21st Century, the current Belmont Park is anachronistic with seating capacity for 33,000 fans and its ability to handle crowds of over 100,000, even without making use of its huge infield.

Indeed, Belmont hosted its largest crowd when 120,139 fans came to see Smarty Jones become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, only to lose in the final strides to Birdstone.

The 2004 Belmont is the only time anyone could recall when the winning owner of a Classic, legendary doyen Marylou Whitney, publicly apologized for disappointing a record crowd who had come to bear witness to history.

Many more rich moments are etched in the memory of older fans, most not old enough to recall the great match race of 1923 between Derby winner Zev and Darby winner Papyrus, but sadly cannot forget the ill-fated match of 1975 when the great filly Ruffian died as she had always raced, on the lead.

But the heady times still prevailed: Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew defeating Triple Crown winner Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup of 1973; Forego making an impossible stretch run to win the 1976 renewal in the final stride; American Pharoah ending a 37-year Triple Crown drought in 2015.

The present structure is undergoing change. Following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approval, construction on a new arena for the NHL’s New York Islanders began and is scheduled to open in time for 2021-22 season. Retail development, a hotel, and community center are also planned.

Belmont stands as a racing monolith: The four stone pillars that adorn the clubhouse entrance stood before the South Carolina Jockey Club for nearly a century, were a gift from the mayor of Charleston; “Woody’s Corner” at the entrance, marking Woody Stephens’ five consecutive Belmont victories; Pierre Bellocq’s clubhouse mural celebrating the track’s prominent players.

Belmont also made contributions to popular culture: The Wright Brothers aviation tournament before 150,000 people in 1910; the sight of a 195-year-old white pine standing majestically in the center of the paddock; Belmont Park as backdrop for two Woody Allen movies, plus two others--Gloria and St. Vincent; segments from TV’s The Odd Couple, Everybody Loves Raymond, and season finale of The Amazing Race.

Finally, lest anyone forget, prior to the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984, there was the Fall meet at Belmont Park which gave birth to yet another of its sobriquets, “The Championship Track.”