The international sports scene has been flipped upside down because of the coronavirus, leaving a lot of doubt and unanswered questions regarding what’s to come – will the NBA finish its season, will the NFL be able to start on time; the list goes on. While sports fans wait to learn the answers to these difficult questions, at least one already has a response. The upcoming Triple Crown races are going to be scheduled completely differently from previous years. The good news, though, is that the popular horse races won’t have to be canceled, and fans can now start making plans to see the Belmont Stakes race in June. Typically the last of the three legs of the competition, it will now be the first.
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced the change yesterday, stating that the “152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, to be contested at nine furlongs, will take place on Saturday, June 20 at Belmont Park as the opening leg of the Triple Crown for the first time in history.” As everyone should expect by now, the race won’t run in front of a live crowd – only jockeys, horses, trainers and a limited number of Belmont Park employees will be allowed to attend.
Belmont Stakes has historically been a mile-and-a-half run since 1926, although it started as a 1 and 5/8-mile contest when the first race was held in 1867. However, COVID-19 is forcing changes to the entire Triple Crown schedule and, in an effort to not cause too much alteration to the itinerary, the NYRA explains that the race will have a distance of just a 1 1/8 miles. This, couple with the rescheduling of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, which moved from May to September, and the Preakness Stakes, swapped to October from May, will help put the entire season back on track.
Dave O’Rourke, the president and CEO of the NYRA, adds, “The Belmont Stakes is a New York institution that will provide world-class entertainment for sports fans during these challenging times. While this will certainly be a unique running of this historic race, we are grateful to be able to hold the Belmont Stakes in 2020. Thanks to our partners at NBC Sports, fans across the country can look forward to a day of exceptional thoroughbred racing at a time when entertainment and sports are so important to providing a sense of normalcy.”
Since fans can’t go to the race, the race will go to the fans. NBC Sports will cover Belmont Stakes starting at 3 PM Eastern Standard Time on June 20, and will also cover all of the Triple Crown, thanks to its exclusive deal with the races. NBC Sports President of Programming Jon Miller states, “June Saturdays at Belmont Park always offer terrific racing. We’re excited to return on June 20 with a three-hour broadcast featuring the 152nd Belmont Stakes.”
