Drosselmeyer takes the Belmont

A hot day at Belmont turned out to be just the ticket for Drosselmeyer, the winner of the 2010 Belmont Stakes in Elmont last Saturday.

The New York Racing Association was expecting between 40,000 and 50,000 fans to fill the seats on race day, and the official attendance split the difference, with just over 45,000 coming out. As is typical at a Triple Crown event, women in extravagant hats and sundresses mingled with men wearing Wayfarers, seersuckers and boat shoes, and just about everyone in attendance carried a beer. Some carried two. While the spectacle of the race itself wasn’t as big as in years past, when there was the possibility of a Triple Crown-winning horse, there was still plenty to see and do at the park.

Elliot Walden, racing manager for the victorious WinStar Farm, said he was thrilled to see so many fans at the track in spite of the lack of a Triple Crown chance. “I was extremely excited to look down that grandstand and see wall-to-wall people,” Walden said, when asked if the race was less intense without the Triple Crown drama. He described the feeling as a little more “relaxed,” and he didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

Doug Cauthen, president and CEO of WinStar Farm — which was responsible for Kentucky Derby Winner Super Saver in addition to Drosselmeyer — said he has always looked at Belmont as a kind of magical place because of his long association with it. Cauthen is the brother of jockey Steven Cauthen, famous for riding Affirmed to the most recent Triple Crown, in 1978.

Describing the first time he visited the track, Cauthen said, “I thought I’d gone to heaven when I first showed up at Belmont Park. If you love horses, this is the place for horses to be. I was just kind of spun around over the whole thing.”

Ice Box, trained by Nick Zito, was a strong favorite going into the race, but finished a lagging ninth in what was an admittedly slow race.

Mike Smith, the winning jockey, said he has always been fond of the Belmont despite his previous inability to take home its marquee trophy. “It’s a dream, riding here when you get to this level,” Smith said. “This race has eluded me for a long time, but I love riding this track. To me it’s like riding a bike.”

Smith was a replacement for last year’s victorious Belmont Stakes jockey, Kent Desormeaux. Desormeaux was replaced by trainer Bill Mott not because Mott felt that the old rider was doing anything wrong, but because a change in Drosselmeyer’s saddle might help him get to the next level after consistently underperforming.

There was talk, Mott said, of entering Drosselmeyer in the Kentucky Derby to give him a shot at the Triple Crown, but a lack of early success kept the horse from winning enough purses to qualify.

Comments about this story? MHampton@

liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.