Summer time on the Spa — a ritual practically 200 years sturdy — began early in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, being held on Saturday for the primary time at Saratoga Race Course, a revered relic the place the elite and in any other case mingle, however the horses rule.
Broadway, the town’s central thoroughfare, bustled. Strains for picnic tables on the observe shaped earlier than daybreak. A brand new shade — Belmont inexperienced — blended with the observe’s signature red-and-white trimmings. Homeowners, trainers, horseplayers and the cooler-toting trustworthy all hailed the break from custom for the race’s 156th operating.
A roar rose from the previous wood grandstand because the horses entered the beginning gate for the primary occasion. It didn’t disappoint. The 17-1 longshot Dornoch, ridden by Luis Saez and skilled by Danny Gargan, held off Mindframe and Sierra Leone for a surprising victory.
Jockeys line the fountain outdoors the Marylou Whitney entrance.
