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The horses head out to the track for the 141st Belmont Stakes.
  • Belmont Stakes results & photos
  • Belmont Stakes field photos
  • More Belmont Day Photos
  • Manhattan Handicap & Just a Game S.
  • Acorn Stakes, True North Handicap,
        & Woody Stephens Stakes
  • Brooklyn Handicap & Hill Prince Stakes
  • Friday workout photos
  • 2009 Belmont Miscellaneous Photos

    Date: 06/10/2009

    There are lots of other things to see at Belmont besides the racing. Here are some miscellaneous and scenic photos for you to enjoy. Click the small photo too see a larger version.


    They did a salute to the military before the first race including a color guard and an Air Force C-17 cargo plane doing a flyover. Here is TSgt Kim Lively of the US Air Force Band of Liberty, Hanscom AFB MA, singing of the National Anthem in the winner's circle.
    On Saturday, jockeys at racetracks across the country wore these stickers on their boots as a show of support for recently injured jockey Rene Douglas and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) and many riders donated one losing mount fee from their Saturday earnings to Douglas. NYRA also made a $5,000 contribution to the PDJF. Douglas was seriously injured on May 23 of this year during a race at Arlington Park and unlikely to walk again. In 1996, he won the Belmont Stakes aboard Editor's Note and during last year's Belmont Stakes program, he guided Dancing Forever to victory in the Manhattan Handicap.

    There was a tragic accident on May 21st where a horse named City On Line dumped his jockey and ran back through the tunnel into the paddock where he ran into the Secretariat statue. The base of the statue was destroyed, although the statue itself was not damaged, and the horse had to be euthanized due to the injuries he suffered. So it would not be missing for the Belmont Stakes, they put the statue on a temporary wooden base until the polished concrete block with Secretariat's history engraved on it can be replaced. Here are two views of the statue on the temporary base with the traditional carnations draped on top.

    Singer Linda Eder performed the traditional song "New York, New York" during the post parade for the Belmont Stakes this year. She also gave a concert in the backyard behind the grandstand after the races.
    The post parade for the Manhattan Stakes


    This large cast iron piece about 4 feet tall hangs just inside the clubhouse entrance of Belmont Park. In 1997 they started a new tradition where the colors of the winning horse are painted on one of these jockeys.

    It wouldn't be the Belmont Stakes without large numbers of security, police, and even SWAT team members with automatic weapons hanging out in the winner's circle. As the day goes on, the number increases and at one point I saw six SWAT team guys there.


    Fans in the backyard were treated to a concert all afternoon by the Godfrey Townsend Band. Townsend is a the New York-based musician who has performed nationwide with John Entwistle of The Who, Dave Mason from Traffic and Alan Parsons. They were quite good and when I was back there they were doing Beatles and Paul McCartney songs.

    A young fan dances with the Belmont Park mascot while the Godfrey Townsend Band plays "(They say it's your) Birthday" by the Beatles.

    As pretty and sunny as it was on Saturday, it was horrible on Friday with rain all day and chilly temperatures in the 50's. Here is the track around 6am during the morning works. As you can see it was quite muddy and they had the dogs up to protect the inside lanes.

    The jockeys enter the padddock for the Brooklyn Handicap on Friday with Belmont Park's signature pine tree in the background.

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