Kareena / Chris Raheyel Photo

Brown, Ortiz, Jr., Godolphin earn top honors in Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Championship

by NYRA Press Office

Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Godolphin Racing took top honors in the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Championship for best overall performance by a trainer, jockey and owner, respectively, during the three-day event at Belmont Park.

The competition, based on a 5-3-2-1 point basis, began with the first race on Thursday, June 9 and continued through the 12th race on Belmont Stakes Day, Saturday, June 11, one race after Creator surged to a narrow victory over Destin in the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival featured 19 stakes races and nearly $10 million in total purses.

The category for the "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons Award for Outstanding Trainer saw Brown, NYRA's top conditioner of 2015, atop the leaderboard with 24 points. Among Brown's major victories over the three-day span were Flintshire's win in the Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan, Economic Model's win in the $150,000 Easy Goer, Zindaya's triumph in the $150,000 Intercontinental and a 1-2-3 finish in the Grade 2, $500,000 New York with Dacita, Sea Calisi and Guapaza.

Capped by his outstanding ride aboard Creator in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, Ortiz, Jr. again took top honors among jockeys with 35 points to win his second Eddie Arcaro Award. Ortiz Jr. also was aboard Kareena for her victory in the $150,000 Jersey Girl and piloted Dacita to win the New York.

Earning the August Belmont II trophy was Godolphin Racing with 14 points, highlighted by Frosted's runaway victory in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap and Kareena's win in the Jersey Girl.

The custom-designed Tiffany & Co. sterling silver trophies are named after August Belmont II, the builder of Belmont Park and winner of three Belmont Stakes, James "Sunny  Jim" Fitzsimmons, who trained six Belmont Stakes winners including Triple Crown champions, Gallant Fox in 1930 and Omaha in 1935, and Eddie Arcaro, a two-time Triple Crown winner, with Whirlaway in 1941 and Citation in 1948, who also picked up victories in four other editions of the Belmont Stakes, aboard Shut Out in 1942, Pavot in 1945, One Count in 1952 and Nashua in 1955.