​America’s Day at the Races to show concluding three days of Belmont Park spring/summer meet

by Brian Bohl

Free Equibase past performances available for all races that are part of broadcast

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air 14.5 hours of coverage Friday through Sunday, coinciding with the final three days of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park. 

Presented by America’s Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America’s Day at the Races will broadcast at least 4.5 hours of live racing coverage every day on either FS1 or FS2.

The broadcast schedule for America's Day at the Races is as follows (all times Eastern):

Friday, July 9

FS2: 1 – 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 10

FS1: 1 – 3 p.m.

FS2: 3 – 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 11

FS2: 12:30 – 4 p.m.

FS1: 4 – 5 p.m.

Friday’s program will air the entirety of Belmont’s nine-race card that has a 1 p.m. Eastern first post time. The 5.5-hour show will showcase a $94,000 allowance optional claimer in Race 8 for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf. Chad Brown, in position to win his sixth consecutive trainer title at the Belmont spring/summer meet, will send out the Irish-bred Group 1-placed Flighty Lady from post 11 in the 12-horse field at 5-2 on the morning line. Trainer Christophe Clement will send out New York-bred stakes winner Classic Lady, listed at 7-2, from the inside post.

Saturday’s show will also air the complete Belmont card, which features three graded stakes and another 1 p.m. first post. 

An international field will assemble for the Grade 1, $700,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, the opening jewel of the Turf Triple series for sophomore fillies going 10 furlongs on the inner turf, in Race 7 at 4:06 p.m. 

Internationally renowned trainer Aidan O’Brien will saddle Santa Barbara, a half-sister to 2019 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf-winner Iridessa and 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile victor Order of Australia. Cirona, trained by Christophe Ferland, captured the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte in April at Longchamp and was narrowly defeated in the 10-furlong Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary on soft turf in May at Longchamp. Other contenders include the top-two finishers of last month’s Grade 3 Wonder Again, with Con Lima for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and the Clement-trained Plum Ali.

Race 8 at Belmont will feature the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride for 3-year-old fillies competing at 6 1/2-furlongs on the main track. Reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox will saddle a pair of top contenders in the undefeated multiple stakes-winner Australasia and stakes-winner Inject.

The Louisiana-bred Australasia, by Sky Kingdom, bested Victory Ride-rivals Bella Sofia and Miss Brazil in the six-furlong Jersey Girl on June 6 at Belmont. Inject, a bay daughter of Frosted, romped by 5 1/4-lengths last out in the six-furlong Goldfinch on May 15 over a muddy Pimlico main track.

The day’s feature will be the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational going 10 furlongs in Race 9 at 5:12 p.m. The first leg of the Turf Triple series for sophomores will be held on the inner turf course, as O’Brien will send out Bolshoi Ballet, who finished seventh as the favorite last out in the Group 1 Epsom Derby. The Galileo bay won both his efforts in 2021 prior to the Epsom Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be represented by last-out Grade 2 American Turf-winner Du Jour, while Jonathan Thomas will saddle stakes winner Hard Love.

Sunday will close the curtain on the Belmont spring/summer meet and mark the last live race day at a NYRA track until Thursday, July 15, when the 40-day summer meet kicks off at historic Saratoga Race Course, running through Labor Day, September 6.

At Belmont on Sunday, the $100,000 River Memories for older fillies and mares going 1 1/2 miles on the Widener turf will be the last stakes of the meet.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.