Modern Child wins Belmont Park opener

Velasquez was Belmont’s first winner.

Christina Daly/Herald

Jockey Cornelio Velasquez and his horse, Modern Child, posed with their connections in the winner’s circle after placing first on Opening Day.

Jon Premosch/Herald

Marshall Warren read The Daily Racing Form prior to the first race on Belmont’s Opening Day last week.

Jon Premosch/Herald

Modern Child, ridden by jockey Cornelio Velasquez, was the first horse to cross the finish line on Friday, April 27, Belmont’s Opening Day.

Christina Daly/Herald

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Jockey Cornelio Velasquez was cool, calm and collected during the first race of 2012 at Belmont Park last Friday afternoon, waiting for just the right moment to ask Modern Child to make a move in the one-mile dirt event that kicked off the 56-day spring/summer meet.

Seventh in the 10-horse field after pacesetter Tancredi logged the opening half-mile in 46.79 seconds, Modern Child found another gear turning for home, took the lead in the stretch and drew away for a rousing 6½-length victory. Myrlanski nosed out Tancredi for place money, and the winning trifecta brought back a whopping $2,671 for a $2 wager.

“I stayed behind the speed at the beginning and I had a lot of horse down the stretch,” said Velasquez, who said he prefers Belmont over any other track in the country and went on to complete the early daily double aboard Crepuscolo in the second race. “The longer the distance, the better for [Modern Child].”

Trained by Joseph Imperio and owned by R.C. Racing Stables, Modern Child brought home $37,200 of the $62,000 allowance purse and paid $15.20 to win, $8.50 to place and $6.40 to show. The exacta returned $289 for a $2 investment.

The biggest purse offered before the Opening Day crowd of 4,885 came in Race 3, a $77,000 Allowance Optional Claiming race. Also a one-mile dirt event, favored Unstoppable U took a five-horse field wire to wire to win by more than six lengths with Junior Alvarado aboard.

To Honor and Serve was an expected winner in the first graded stakes race of the meet, taking the 83rd running of the $150,000 Westchester last Saturday in 1:34.84 over a fast main track with Jose Lezcano up.

Of course, the biggest stakes race of the 26 scheduled during the spring/summer meet, which runs through July 15, will be the 144th running of the Belmont Stakes. The third and final leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown takes place Saturday, June 9.

In addition to all the great racing, there’s no shortage of family activities throughout the meet, including the popular Breakfast at Belmont program weekend mornings from 7 to 9:30 a.m. (excluding Belmont Stakes weekend) and Family Fun Days on Sundays. Party at the Park returns for three Fridays beginning June 29, with a special first race post time of 3 p.m. Food and drink specials are offered, along with live concerts.