2020 Belmont Stakes: Difference between revisions
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| winning jockey = |
| winning jockey = Manny Franco |
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| winning trainer = |
| winning trainer = [[Barclay Tagg]] |
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| winning owner = |
| winning owner = [[Sackatoga Stable]] |
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| attendance = |
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| previous = [[2019 Belmont Stakes|2019]] |
| previous = [[2019 Belmont Stakes|2019]] |
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Revision as of 21:56, 20 June 2020
| Belmont Stakes | |
| Grade I stakes race | |
 "The Test of the Champion" | |
| Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Date | June 20, 2020 |
| Distance | 1+1⁄8 mi (9 furlongs; 1,811 m) |
| Winning horse | Tiz the Law |
| Jockey | Manny Franco |
| Trainer | Barclay Tagg |
| Owner | Sackatoga Stable |
| Surface | Dirt |
The 2020 Belmont Stakes was the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes and the 109th time the event took place at Belmont Park. It was run June 20, 2020, and was won by Tiz the Law. The race is one of the three legs of the American Triple Crown, open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds.
Due to concerns relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the race, which is normally the last Triple Crown race of the season, was run as the first race in the 2020 Triple Crown series and was contested at 1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs), having been run at 1+1⁄2 miles (12 furlongs) since 1926.[1] This was the first time since 1931 for the Triple Crown races to be run in a different order, and the first time for the Belmont Stakes to be run as the opening leg of the Triple Crown.[2]
Background
Since 1969, the American Triple Crown has been scheduled to begin with the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May, followed by the Preakness Stakes two weeks later in mid-May, and the Belmont three weeks after that in early June.[3] Major prep races for the series are normally run from three to six weeks before the Derby. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of several race meetings starting in mid-March, which led to the postponement or outright cancellation of several of these major preps.
The shutdowns led Churchill Downs to reschedule the 2020 Kentucky Derby to the first Saturday in September. Pimlico followed suit by rescheduling the 2020 Preakness Stakes to the first Saturday in October. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) decided instead to hold the Belmont Stakes on June 20, three weeks after racing in New York reopened on June 3. The Belmont will be the first major sporting event in New York state since the pandemic began. There will be no fans in attendance, and thus no on-track betting.[4]
Because of the disrupted racing schedule, NYRA also decided to shorten the race from its traditional distance of 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) to 1+1⁄8 miles (1.8 km). The race will thus go from being the longest race of the series, the so-called "test of the champion", to the shortest. NYRA had considered running the race at 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km), but this would have meant starting the race on the clubhouse turn—a serious disadvantage for some horses in a large field. "I think given the circumstances this was the best choice," said trainer Todd Pletcher of the revised distance. "A mile and a half wasn't going to fit many horses at this stage. It was the right move."[5][6]
Field
After the new date and distance was announced in mid-May, the field was expected to have up to sixteen starters. However, Nadal and Charlatan, both leading contenders trained by Bob Baffert, were subsequently injured. This left Tiz the Law as the clear favorite, and connections of several other contenders decided to skip the Belmont to focus on preparing for the Kentucky Derby. "There's other opportunities out there," said owner Barry Irwin of his decision to bypass the race. "Even though it's the Belmont Stakes, it's not the Belmont Stakes. Whatever prestige that would have come from it, that little extra something that makes you run in a race like that is lacking this year. If your goal is to get into the Kentucky Derby, why do you want to get your socks knocked off by Tiz the Law when you can go elsewhere?"[4]
- Tap It to Win – allowance race winner, likely to set early pace
- Sole Volante – won the Sam F. Davis, second in the Tampa Bay Derby
- Max Player – won the Withers Stakes in February, but unraced since then
- Modernist – winner of the Risen Star, third in the Louisiana Derby
- Farmington Road – second in Oaklawn Stakes and fourth in Arkansas Derby
- Fore Left – won the UAE 2000 Guineas in Dubai in February, but unraced since then
- Jungle Runner – winless since November, eighth in the Arkansas Derby
- Tiz the Law – won the Florida Derby and Holy Bull Stakes
- Dr Post – won the Unbridled Stakes
- Pneumatic – third in Matt Winn Stakes
| Finish | Post position | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Record† | Morning line odds |
Final odds | Margin (lengths) |
Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tap It to Win | John Velazquez | Mark Casse | 6–3–1–0 | 6–1 | — | |||
| 2 | Sole Volante | Luca Panici | Patrick Biancone | 6–4–1–1 | 9–2 | — | |||
| 3 | 3 | Max Player | Joel Rosario | Linda Rice | 3–2–1–0 | 15–1 | — | ||
| 4 | Modernist | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | 5–2–0–2 | 15–1 | — | |||
| 5 | Farmington Road | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 6–1–2–0 | 15–1 | — | |||
| 6 | Fore Left | José Ortiz | Doug O'Neill | 9–4–0–2 | 30–1 | — | |||
| 7 | Jungle Runner | Reylu Gutierrez | Steve Asmussen | 8–2–0–0 | 50–1 | — | |||
| 1 | 8 | Tiz the Law | Manny Franco | Barclay Tagg | 5–4–0–1 | 6–5 | — | ||
| 2 | 9 | Dr Post | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd Pletcher | 3–2–0–0 | 5–1 | — | ||
| 4 | 10 | Pneumatic | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Steve Asmussen | 3–2–0–1 | 8–1 | — |
† Starts–Wins–Places–Shows, prior to the Belmont Stakes
Source: Equibase[9]
References
- ^ "Belmont Stakes to be held June 20 at shorter distance". ESPN.com. May 19, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ Darcy, Kieran (June 18, 2020). "What to know ahead of an unusual Belmont Stakes". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Janack, Phil (2020). "Delayed Preakness Poised to Make History". pimlico.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ a b "Despite the Differences, It's Still the Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Belmont Stakes Goes From Longest Classic to Shortest". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Horse Racing: Trainers Adapt to COVID-19 Era Ahead of Saturday's Belmont". The New York Times. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Drape, Joe; Hoppert, Melissa (19 June 2020). "Belmont Stakes Experts' Picks: Who Will Win?". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Keeler Johnson's Belmont 152 Selections". cs.bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "RACE 10 Belmont S. Presented by NYRA Bets (Grade I)". equibase.com. June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.