They're off and running at Belmont

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Belmont Park’s 59-day Spring/Summer Meet got under way April 29, with Miss Da Point winning the track’s first race of 2015, taking a six-furlong dirt event in picture-perfect conditions by half a length with jockey Angel Cruz aboard.

Miss Da Point gradually kicked away from a stubborn Carameaway in the final furlong of the New York state-bred Allowance race for fillies and mares, which had a purse of $75,000. Miss Da Point paid $13.20 to win.

“She broke sharp and sat second most of the way,” Cruz said. “When I asked her to pick it up, she had a lot to give.”

Cruz added that it was exciting to be the first jockey in the Belmont winner’s circle in 2015. “It’s an awesome feeling,” he said. “Riding here in New York is every jockey’s dream. To win the first race of the year at Belmont is an accomplishment.”

The 147th running of the Belmont Stakes, on Saturday, June 6, is the glittering centerpiece of the meet, which runs through July 19. The oldest and longest leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the 1½-mile Belmont will be supported by three days of racing, featuring 17 stakes races worth more than $10 million. Last year, a crowd of 102,199 watched as Tonalist surged past Commissioner in the final stride to become the ninth straight upset winner in the Belmont. California Chrome, seeking to become the first thoroughbred to capture the Triple Crown in 36 years, finished in a dead heat for fourth.

The Met Mile is one of five other Grade 1 races on a 13-race card supporting the Belmont Stakes this year: the $1 million Knob Creek Manhattan on the turf, the $1 million Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares, the $750,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies, and the $700,000 Longines Just a Game for turf fillies and mares. Also that day will be the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens; the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational; the Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational; and the $150,000 Easy Goer for 3-year-olds.

“The opening of Belmont means that spring has finally arrived,” said John Durso Jr., the New York Racing Association’s director of communications and public affairs. “We’re very excited to get the meet under way.”

Numerous guest-centric enhancements have been made for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, including special post-race concerts by top-tier bands. Two new food truck villages, in the backyard and near the top of the stretch, will feature more than 30 of the most popular New York-area trucks.

With the Belmont Stakes Draw scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, the festival will kick off the following day with the $150,000 Intercontinental for turf fillies and mares and the $250,000 Astoria for 2-year-old fillies. The high level of racing will continue on June 5, as Belmont offers five stakes races worth $1.2 million.

“This is going to be a festival that’s bigger, bolder and better than anything NYRA has done before,” Durso said. “We’ve taken one day of great racing and turned it into three days of great racing.”

While the schedule in early June anchors the meet, it isn’t the only action-packed month. Belmont Park will celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday with Family Fun Day: an enter-to-win contest featuring equine-themed jewelry, clothing and accessories; free roses to all women dining in the Garden Terrace; and special photo opportunities for the whole family. On Memorial Day, May 25, New York-breds take center stage on Big Apple Showcase Day, with six stakes races. Rounding out the Big Apple experience will be a Farmers Market; one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature initiatives, Taste NY; as well as a jockey and trainer autograph session.

In July, a “must-see” event is the second edition of the internationally themed Stars & Stripes Racing Festival, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational and the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies, both at 1¼ miles on the turf.

Party at the Park Twilight racing Fridays return with a special 3 p.m. post time on June 19 and 26 as well as July 3, and the Breakfast at Belmont program is available every weekend and holiday during the meet, with the exception of Belmont Stakes weekend.

First-race post time is generally 1:20 p.m., with racing conducted Wednesday through Sunday. Parking is free and admission is $5, excluding Belmont Stakes Day, when Grandstand admission is $15 and Clubhouse admission is $40.