No Triple Crown threat for Belmont Stakes

Elmont residents hoping for a big crowd at this year's Belmont Stakes suffered another blow last Saturday as Super Saver was defeated by Lookin At Lucky at the Preakness Stakes in Maryland.

Now, according to published reports, neither the Kentucky Derby winner nor the Preakness Stakes winner will appear in the Triple Crown, making the field a group of largely unknown horses, racing for little more than the pride and the purse.

Representatives of NYRA are beginning to highlight Preakness runner-up First Dude and Game On Dude, a horse trained by famous trainer Bob Baffert. NYRA officials have already started teasing the Belmont as a likely "Battle of the Dudes."

In a NYRA release, Baffert said the Belmont, which is the longest of the Triple Crown races at a mile-and-a-half, is too difficult for horses looking to run a longer season.

“I like the Belmont,” Baffert said. “It’s a long, tough race. When I ran my other horses for the Triple Crown, I had to give them a break. It’s tough on them.”

Regardless of the horses that end up walking the paddock and landing in the starting gate, the crowd at Belmont is likely to be small.

In the interest of boosting attendance, NYRA had already partnered with several groups to put together events not focused on the race itself.

Elmont will host a Belmont Stakes Festival the weekend before the race, featuring a parade on May 29 and a community day at Belmont Park on May 30, all leading up to the race on June 5.

The Northeast Equine Expo, an event focused on several equine industries, will also take place the weekend before the race.