We’re closing in on the 144th Running of The Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on Long Island this coming Saturday, June 9th. Since the event is just days away, The Big Adventure wanted to share some noteworthy Belmont Stakes Trivia. Anything we can do to get you pumped up for the Triple Crown Bid day and to impress any friends who may be equine aficionados. Each day, we’ll count down the nine most interesting facts about the Belmont Stakes:
Fact #3 – The official flower of the
Belmont Stakes? The carnation! It’s a logical choice to crown the winner of the
1½-mile race with these because pure white carnations traditionally stand for
love and luck, but they are also hardy, long-lasting flowers. So, the winner
gets not only a huge cash purse, a glowing trophy but also some flowers.
It
takes approximately 700 carnations imported from Colombia to create the 40
pound blanket. The blanket is then draped over the winner of the Belmont Stakes
in the winner's circle. The Big Adventure is looking into acquiring a carnation
blanket for our own personal use because it sounds comfortable and warm.
For
fans looking to catch a glimpse of the official blanket, the best place is to
catch several NYRA staffers tour the building with the carnation mantle,
stopping for about 20 minutes on all four floors of the Clubhouse to post for
photos and answer questions like "Hey, can I have those flowers when
you're done with ‘em?"
Fact #2 – So, who is arguably the
greatest horse to ever be a part of horse racing? Black Beauty? Trigger? Mr.
Ed? Amazingly enough, none of the above. Most people agree that Triple-Crown
Winner Secretariat is top equine achiever. In 1973, Secretariat set a track and
world record of 2:24 for the mile and a half with his 31-length victory, a
record that still stands today.
Ultimately,
Secretariat sired as many as 600 foals during his retirement. That's some good
living right there. Though his blood flows through other notable
racehorses---including 2004 Kentucky Derby and 2010 Preakness winner Smarty
Jones.
That's
why you can find this big ole statue of the horse at both Belmont and Churchill
Downs. Sadly, a racehorse named City On The Line was euthanized in May 2009
after crashing into a bronze statue of Secretariat in the Belmont Park paddock.
Wow, even we are amazed at amount of trivia we know...
If you’re looking to plan
your own Belmont Stakes Adventure this Saturday, feel free to look to our Belmont
Stakes and Delicious Steaks Big Adventure from 2010 for some inspiration on
some great things to do that day!
No comments:
Post a Comment