Greg Montgomery admits he was in the dark when the whole Belmont-coming-to-Saratoga thing was announced. “Someone said, ‘Aren’t you doing something for the Belmont?’” the graphic illustrator remembers. “And I said, ‘I’m sorry, I’ve been sick or something. Tell me what you’re talking about.’ And they said, ‘The Triple Crown is coming to Saratoga. It’s only the most important thing that ever happened!’”
Nearly 40 years after he started creating Saratoga’s now-iconic Travers posters, Montgomery knew how big of a deal this was. And he knew that as the Spa City’s preeminent visual documentarian of major horse racing events, he had to do something. The only problem? He had nothing on which to base his design—a prerequisite simply didn’t exist.
“My formula has been to take last year’s [Travers] winner and some recognizable location at the track and put the two of them together through the magic of Photoshop,” he says. “I can’t do that. This has never happened before.”
To further complicate matters, the winner of last year’s Travers was Arcangelo, son of 2016 Travers winner Arrogate. If Montgomery put Arcangelo on this year’s Travers poster, it’d look too similar to the poster he did commemorating Arrogate’s victory less than a decade ago. But at the same time, the artist felt he had to honor Jena Antonucci, the first woman to win the Midsummer Derby since 1938.
Montgomery’s solution to the conundrum? Three posters—one in honor of the Belmont being run at Saratoga, one in honor of Jena Antonucci’s historic wins in both the 2023 Belmont and Travers, and the regularly scheduled, yet-to-be-released Travers poster.
While we can’t unveil what Montgomery came up with for the Travers poster just yet, we can show you the other two. The Antonucci one, featuring Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano and the aforementioned Arcangelo, will be gifted to attendees of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Belmont Gala on June 6 at the Canfield Casino, with a limited number of signed prints becoming available later this summer. The other? A poster featuring the August Belmont Trophy, which was commissioned by the eponymous namesake of the Triple Crown race in 1896 and fashioned by Tiffany & Co. out of 350 ounces of sterling silver. Montgomery’s illustration of the trophy took more than a month to draw, and utilizes 1,100 pieces of color to capture all its reflections just right. Behind it, you can just make out the Saratoga grandstand’s iconic skyline.
“Impressions sold 75 of them in seven days,” says Montgomery, who will be donating proceeds from the poster to charities including the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. “The scale of this race and its interest is new to me.”
And you’d better believe that shortly after this year’s race, Montgomery will start collecting photos of its winner. Why? Well, in preparation for his 2025 Belmont at Saratoga poster, of course.
The world of investing has certainly changed a lot in the last half-century. But for Fenimore Asset Management, the core principles upon which the Cobleskill-based investment firm was founded 50 years ago are what have allowed the family business to prosper well into the 21st century.
In 1974, Tom Putnam founded Fenimore Asset Management after his family sold its textile business and in turn came into a small sum of money. He did so with four core principles, which current president Christian Snyder says endure today, in mind: offer exceptional service, help provide financial peace of mind, serve with integrity, and be a friend—to clients, investors and in the community. Adherence to those principles has allowed Fenimore not only to endure for the last 50 years, but to thrive and expand. In 2016, the firm opened a satellite location in Stuyvesant Plaza to serve its growing base of clients in the central Capital Region. It has since outgrown that space, and this year Fenimore celebrated the opening of its new, more prominent location on Wolf Road.
“A big part of our business is welcoming people through our front doors,” Snyder says. “You don’t need an appointment. We love when people walk in. It was probably a little hard to find our old office. It’s much easier to find the new one and we hope people will come visit.”
Fenimore Asset Management President Christian Snyder
That desire to be a part of the local community is perhaps a not-so-secret fifth tenet that has contributed to Fenimore’s success over the years. In 1984, Forbes magazine featured Fenimore in a story headlined “Making a Name in the Catskills.” The article asked, “Does being tucked away in a small town hurt a stock picker?” and answered, “Not if you know how to invest the way Thomas Putnam does.” Forty years later, with Putnam’s daughter Anne now at the helm, that clearly remains true. “We pride ourselves on being present and participating in the communities that we serve,” Snyder says. “We are a firm with a national footprint and a national presence, but the heart of the firm is in a small town. Local roots equals local values.”
Of course, community values only take you so far; Fenimore’s success is also derived from its employees’ knowledge of what constitutes a compelling investment. In deciding what businesses to invest in, Fenimore’s management looks for four criteria: businesses that are doing things the Fenimore team understands; have strong financial statements, low debt, and solid long-term prospects; are run by experienced management teams (Fenimore makes a point to meet with all of its portfolio companies), and are available at a reasonable price relative to the economic worth of the company.
While Fenimore is very particular in choosing those portfolio companies, it accepts all types of investors. Whether you’re just getting started, doing a 401(k) rollover, saving for retirement, funding your child’s education, saving for a specific life goal, or acting as a fiduciary, Fenimore can guide you. When, though, is the right time to invest? “We believe time in the market beats timing the market,” Snyder says. “The earlier you invest, the better. If you have a long-term view, there’s no better time to invest than now.”
To get started, visit fenimoreasset.com/contact, or, as Snyder suggested, visit the firm’s new Wolf Road location. “This is home,” he says of the Capital Region, “and this is where our real focus is.”
Securities offered through Fenimore Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC, and advisory services offered through Fenimore Asset Management, Inc.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal. Before investing, carefully read the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. FAM Funds’ prospectus or summary prospectus contains this and other important information about FAM Funds and should be read carefully before you invest or send money. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus and performance data that is current to the most recent month-end for each fund as well as other information, please go to fenimoreasset.com or call (800) 932-3271.
The principal risks of investing in the fund are: stock market risk (stocks fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and to general stock market and economic conditions), stock selection risk (Fenimore utilizes a value approach to stock selection and there is risk that the stocks selected may not realize their intrinsic value, or their price may go down over time), and small-cap risk (prices of small-cap companies can fluctuate more than the stocks of larger companies and may not correspond to changes in the stock market in general).
Neither this presentation nor any of its contents may be distributed or used for any other purpose without the prior written consent of Fenimore. The description of certain aspects of the market herein is a condensed summary only. This summary does not purport to be complete and no obligation to update or otherwise revise such information is being assumed. These materials are provided for informational purposes only and are not otherwise intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, any security or other financial instrument. This summary is not advice, a recommendation, or an offer to enter into any transaction with Fenimore or any of their affiliated funds. This presentation may contain statements based on the current beliefs and expectations of Fenimore’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Any references herein to any of Fenimore’s past or present investments, portfolio characteristics, or performance, have been provided for illustrative purposes only. It should not be assumed that these investments were or will be profitable or that any future investments will be profitable or will equal the performance of these investments. There can be no guarantee that the investment objectives of Fenimore will be achieved. Any investment entails a risk of loss. Unless otherwise noted, information included herein is presented as of the date indicated on the cover page and may change at any time without notice.
Sure, you can buy a Saratoga souvenir to commemorate this unique Belmont summer—but wouldn’t it be more fun to find one? Saratoga Hidden Horseshoes, a city-wide, summer-long scavenger hunt that features 300 horseshoes worn by Saratoga racehorses hidden around the Spa City, is back for its second season.
“We knew people would like it,” says Saratoga Hidden Horseshoes co-creator Jenn Cleason, who drew inspiration from a similar initiative involving hand-blown glass orbs on Block Island. “But we never thought the community would embrace it to the level that it did. Some people were disabled, and this was their first time getting back out walking. Some people commented that this is a great bonding activity to do with their grandkids. There are little kid pictures, there are parents and their kids, there are girly getaways. It’s multi-generational.”
Indeed, last year, hundreds of horseshoe hunters took to the city’s parks and trails in search of a hidden treasure, sharing a photo with the organizers to post on social media when they found one. The luckiest hunters found one of the 30 horseshoes that had been decorated by a local artist, and one fortunate local man went home (with much fanfare and a spot on Channel 10) with the golden horseshoe, which was dipped in real 18K plated gold by artist Frankie Flores and valued at $3,000.
The 2024 hunt, which kicked off just before Earth Day and runs through Labor Day, is much the same, featuring 270 regular horseshoes, 30 decorated horseshoes and one “horseshoe of the year,” all of which will be hidden periodically throughout the summer. While you’ll have to wait until June to search for the horseshoe of the year—this year it’s a giant shoe of King Tut, a Saratoga police quarter horse that passed away last fall—you can start looking for one of two Belmont-themed horseshoes now. Happy hunting!
May is always a busy time of year for Karen Sewell, owner of Pommenkare Fine Millinery. But this year, it’s not just the Saratoga racing season that’s coming around the bend—the Belmont Stakes is also rapidly closing in on the finish line. To Sewell, that means one thing: more hats.
But while Saratoga will host tens of thousands of potentially hat-wearing out-of-towners for June’s final leg of the 2024 Triple Crown, the hat designer isn’t letting the pressure get to her. “It’s very exciting for the area for sure, and I’m definitely focusing more, but I just kind of make my stuff,” she says. “It’s not a conscious decision that ‘Oh, this hat will be great for Belmont,’ because this time of year I always have the track in mind.”
For those who consider themselves “not a hat person” (more on that later), millinery is a fancy word for the design and manufacture of hats and other headwear. Sewell has been working in the field for more than a decade, and her designs have been worn to the Royal Ascot in England, the Dubai World Cup in the UAE, the Triple Crown races in the US and, of course, Saratoga Race Course. You can purchase the hats and fascinators seen here locally at Saratoga Trunk, where they sell for anywhere from $280 to $500.
But back to all those skeptical souls who claim hats aren’t for them. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I’m not a hat person,’” Sewell says. “Then they stand there and try a few on, and you can see it in their face. They’re like, Oh, this looks pretty good.’”
One client in particular stands out. “I had a special order to make a hat for a girl who was going to the Derby, and she sent me the sweetest note afterwards,” Sewell says. “She said, ‘The moment I put it on my head, I realized how elegant a woman can be.’”
Before the swinging, gambling-themed summer season kicks off with great fanfare, Opera Saratoga welcomes three powerful contemporary works collectively called Listen to This. These pieces are not just modern, but they push the envelope in mind-blowing ways, handing the mic to cutting-edge creators who break through old-fashioned boundaries of what people think opera even is. Performed at Universal Preservation Hall in a 60- to 90-minute workshop form, these Tuesday evenings are a chance for the public to see firsthand the intense and vital early stages of the creation of new vocal works.
June 4 brings the composer Robert Whalen’s The Other Side of Silence, the first known opera to use acoustic or synthetic voices. “Robert runs ensembles at RPI, and he was really interested in writing an opera,” says Mary Birnbaum, Opera Saratoga’s general and artistic director. “He started this work during the pandemic, with people who use synthetic voice. When people hear that, they think of Stephen Hawking. But these lyricists he works with, they have speech or language disorders and use synthetic voices to communicate. They constantly feel kind of misunderstood.”
The performance is Saratoga’s chance to see this compelling piece of technology-driven music that is otherwise being workshopped in Troy, as part of a partnership with RPI via an NYSCA research grant. “This piece is a story about how language and sound are produced,” Birnbaum says of the piece that also explores technology’s impact on individuality. “It gives voice to the voiceless.”
Next up: Winterreise, with bass baritone William Socolof; director George Miller, an Albany native who started out with Lake George Opera (now Opera Saratoga); and pianist Chris Reynolds, who met Birnbaum at Juilliard (where she’s been on faculty since 2011) but is originally from Saratoga. “George is a stage director who pitched me a reimagined version of the iconic song cycle by Schubert,” Birnbaum says of the piece that is all-male by design. “A man wanders in a winter landscape in this piece about desolation and despair—and then he finds hope again. It deals with male loneliness and masculinity.” Attendees will be treated to a short talk with the popular local musicologist Tom Denny after the performance.
Rounding out the series is I woke up in the sky, by the Regina Spektor-esque singer/songwriter Catherine Brookman. “It isn’t really an opera at all,” Birnbaum says. “It’s more for lovers of pop. But the scope and emotion of it is operatic—Catherine will be singing about her adventures during 2020, when she was a Covid nomad. The title comes from the time she skydove, fell asleep in the sky, and then woke up! Her vocals and lyrics are as powerful and personal as every great opera libretto.”
When Mike Spiak decided to plant grapes on the family farm—which dates back to 1802—where he grew up, he never envisioned it growing into a full winery. Now, he is gearing up to open a rural-chic tasting room to provide vino lovers a chance to taste his wines among his treasured vineyards or in his new Amish-built, timber frame barn. “We started planting the vineyards in 2009, and it took us five years to get a full crop,” says Spiak, who lives in the farm’s original farmhouse with his wife, Kelly, and two daughters. “My initial intention was to just sell the grapes. I spent a lot of time in New Zealand, in places blanketed with Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, and I always liked them. Then I went fishing with a buddy who makes wine. So, he started taking some of the grapes and making wine. That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe we’ve got something here.’”
Fast-forward to last August, and Spiak found himself with a portfolio of Fossil Stone wines and a new barn, which he barely got open in time to celebrate the harvest of that year’s grapes with anyone who came out to help—a party that swelled to 100 of his closest friends. Now, after closing for the winter, Fossil Stone’s new tasting barn will celebrate its grand opening to the public June 1.
“There are barrels to sit around if you want to do your tastings among the wine barrels,” he says. “And then we have a small courtyard, which sits between the barn and the vineyard, where you can just sit and have some wine. There are also horses here, so when you’re sitting out in the courtyard, you’re looking at horses and vineyards and it’s just very relaxing and peaceful.”
Fossil Stone’s wine collection includes a crisp white wine called La Crescent, a medium-bodied red with pinot vibes called Marquette, and its cousin Oak Aged Marquette, which is aged—as the name suggests—in oak barrels. There’s also a fruit-forward rosé, a chardonnay-style white called Amber, and a dry red called Petite Pearl that’s the newest in the portfolio. “And then we have a blend of Marquette and Petite Pearl that we call Pearl Mar,” Spiak says. “There’s nothing to compare it to. It’s on a level all by itself.”
Walk-ins are welcome at Fossil Stone Farms Friday to Sunday, noon to 6pm. Expect a laidback atmosphere and delicious wines to pair with a cheese board while you take in the tranquility of the vineyard. Bottles are available for purchase to open later, so you can resurrect your memory of the peaceful new spot that’s just minutes away from Saratoga Springs.
Trainer Jena Antonucci knew she had Arcangelo primed for the 155th Belmont Stakes as she watched him stride powerfully into a stalking position behind front-running National Treasure. As the final turn loomed, it was going to be a matter of opportunity. Would her horse, seemingly with no place to go in the 11/2-mile Test of the Champion, find room to unleash the overwhelming closing kick she knew he possessed? Jockey Javier Castellano soon spotted a seam between National Treasure and the rail and implored his mount to seize the chance. Arcangelo responded with the heart of a champion, squeezing through the narrowest of openings as they turned for home.
And off Arcangelo went, dashing into history.
Not only did the Thoroughbred win Castellano his first Belmont that day, but in a male-dominated industry in which women have always scratched and clawed for opportunities, the victory meant Antonucci had become the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race. A year later, the national spotlight on her continues to shine brightly. Antonucci became a role model for girls who find themselves dreaming her dream come true. Her message to them: “Just because it hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” It took 451 Triple Crown races before Antonucci’s breakthrough; as for the Belmont specifically, she was only the 11th woman to start a horse in the race.
NBC commentator Britney Eurton describes the outcome of last year’s Belmont as “one of the most significant moments in racing history.” And she would know. Her father, Peter, is a prominent West Coast trainer, so she keenly understands the against-the-odds battle Antonucci and others have faced. “When I grew up, it was primarily male trainers,” Eurton says. “The women that you see in the sport now, especially what Jena is doing, it goes to the younger generation to show, ‘You can do this. There is a seat at the table for women.’”
“Horses genuinely make my soul happy,” Jena Antonucci recently told America’s Best Racing. “I love being around them, the smell of them, their energy.”
Antonucci and her team will be celebrated June 6 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Belmont Gala at Canfield Casino. It will be a special evening because Antonucci has enjoyed summers here in Saratoga Springs since she was a child. She even says that she embraces our city as a “second home.” (Antonucci, Castellano and Arcangelo also won the Travers Stakes last year—she’s only the second female trainer to do so—before the Thoroughbred retired due to an issue with his left hind hoof.) “There’s a huge sense of community and family that happens at Saratoga and the surrounding region,” Antonucci says. “It’s not only the horse racing history but the history itself. It just feels very rooted and very much like a big, warm hug.”
After the glittering gala, Antonucci looks forward to the Belmont’s first run at The Spa. “It’s a great opportunity not only for the city but for the sport,” she says. “The energy level will be absolutely amazing.”
Antonucci’s historic wins are one piece of a small-but-mighty surge of female trainers currently taking on the Sport of Kings. Linda Rice is enjoying unprecedented success on the rugged New York circuit and was celebrated at the end of last year for producing a single-year record 165 victories, one more than David Jacobson’s mark set in 2013. She also holds the distinction of being the first woman to win the coveted Saratoga title outright—no woman had topped the standings at a major track before that—edging Todd Pletcher’s massive outfit in 2009. When as a young woman Rice told her father, trainer Clyde Rice, of her determination to follow in his (and her three older brothers’) footsteps, his response neatly sums up what it’s like for a female to eye a career in the sport: “Well, it would be a lot easier if you were one of my sons.”
Last season also saw the rise of two other women in horse racing, Brittany Russell and Cherie DeVaux. Russell, who began training in 2018, emerged as the first woman to lead Maryland’s year-end trainer standings—the mother-of-two registered 118 victories between Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, breaking the stranglehold on the top that Claudio Gonzalez had maintained since 2017. She also ranked 11th nationally for the year with 177 victories overall, and stood 16th in purse earnings with $7,999,367. For her part, DeVaux, assisted by younger sister Adrianne, also produced a banner year. She set a career high with 56 wins, and her earnings more than doubled what they had been the season before, reaching $5,558,777. “I’m loving seeing the growth,” Eurton says of the female presence in horse racing as it stands today. “We have a long way to go of course, but I do see the progress.”
Antonucci always knew her life would, in some way, revolve around working with horses. Growing up in south Florida, she rode show horses at a young age, participating in her first show before her fourth birthday. At the start of her career, she learned invaluable lessons while working for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, before veering away from racing. She worked as a veterinary assistant for four and a half years and then opened Bella Inizio Farm in Ocala, FL. There, she first cared for broodmares, foals, weanlings and yearlings, and then moved into rehabilitating Thoroughbreds. At last, she made her return to racing when she took out her trainer’s license in 2010. In a vivid reminder of how difficult it can be to find good stock and good opportunities, she had never started a horse in a Grade 1 race before the life-altering Belmont.
“It’s a great opportunity not only for the city but for the sport,” says Jena Antonucci about the Belmont being run in Saratoga. “The energy level will be absolutely amazing.” (Photography by G. Sonny Hughes)
Arcangelo’s owner, Blue Rose Farm’s Jon Ebbert, has known from the start of their partnership that Antonucci had something special. The two met at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington at which Arcangelo was sold and quickly connected. Over time, Ebbert came to appreciate her for, among other things, her communication skills. In contrast, he says he heard from some of his previous trainers only when bills came due. “She’s a great trainer,” he says. “She cares about her owners. She cares about her horses.”
Antonucci’s love for all horses can be seen at horseOlogy, which she established in November 2022 with business partner Katie Miranda. Based at idyllic GoldMark Farm in Ocala, it differs from other training and ownership operations by providing every in-house service from conception to retirement. And each horse receives the same high level of care, regardless of pedigree or price. “They don’t know their value to a human,” Antonucci says. “We’ve been able to resurrect some careers because we didn’t classify them as being this or being that.”
There, she has successfully created a family atmosphere that’s indicative of her all-in approach. “She does more for people than any trainer I’ve ever worked for,” says assistant trainer Fiona Goodwin, who has been with her from the start.
While Arcangelo’s success created opportunities and allowed her to upgrade the quality of her 30 or so runners, Antonucci made sure the operation remained hands-on. “We do us really well, and so we are committed to staying who we are and not having huge numbers,” she says. “If that means we have to say ‘no’ to some opportunities, then that’s what that means. I don’t want to be a horse manager. I enjoy being a horse trainer.”
She’s excited about the 2-year-olds in her barn and hopes to unveil some of them at Saratoga’s summer meet. Time will tell whether the Belmont was a harbinger of other great things to come for her. Goodwin, for one, is convinced her boss will soon return to the grand stage of the Triple Crown races.
“She’s as good as any if not better than most of the others,” Goodwin says. “It’s inevitable. It’s going to happen again, for sure.”
If you’ve never been to Opera Saratoga, this is the year to start. And if you’ve attended various one-offs over the years, it’s time to go all in. After all, there’s the excitement of the Belmont (watch out for the opera’s performance at the track on Friday between races three and four), the razzle-dazzle of Guys and Dolls (the only full-fledged musical in town), and an ultra-glam post-Belmont gala at Canfield Casino. From betting on the ponies and Sky Masterson’s betting on…everything, to the Monte Carlo-esque ball, it’s a low-risk wager that the summer festival is going to be an absolute thrill.
“Our summer festival’s theme this year revolves around the art of the wager, and we’re having a lot of fun with it,” says Mary Birnbaum, the company’s hip general and artistic director who also teaches at the world-famous Juilliard. “Guys and Dolls has been a favorite for musical theater lovers for 50 years because it’s so funny, romantic and tuneful.” And the fact that the company’s found a new home at Universal Preservation Hall means you can make a whole night of it: dinner and a show, and maybe some post theater-cocktails. This summer, the opera is the place to be downtown.
If Guys and Dolls wasn’t enough of a hint that today’s opera is different than any stereotypes that newcomers might be holding on to, take a look, too, at the contemporary works being performed in June as part of a series called Listen to This (flip the page for more). The 60-minute shows tackle themes such as technology’s mark on one’s individuality and loneliness among men. There’s even a pop performance, too. Classic opera buffs will enjoy all if it, in addition to the company’s rendition of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, during which Don Alfonso lays a wager that he can prove—in less than 24 hours, no less—that all women are fickle. Director Gisela Cardenas will put a feminist spin on this classic, as Don Alfonso learns his lesson, too.
Michael HawkNicoletta BerryMaximillian Jansen
“These works are timeless masterpieces with beautiful music,” Birnbaum says. “Così has appealed to audiences for 200 years and counting.”
Newcomers to Opera Saratoga often feel a palpable, excited energy among the audience members, one that’s reciprocated by the performers and which amplifies their larger-than-life talent. That’s because, unlike touring companies that stop in town for a few days, Opera Saratoga’s festival artists (some of whom are pictured here) live in the Spa City for six weeks, staying in locals’ homes and really getting to know and love Saratoga. By the time the lights go up, the faces on stage are familiar to the community and vice versa.
“To somebody who’s never been before, you have to experience the enthusiasm and the talent that these singers bring to the stage—it’s just fantastic,” says Laurie Rogers, director of the Festival Artist program, for which only 22 applicants were chosen out of almost 1,000. “When you look at those numbers, you can see how they all really want to be here. As an artist, you put yourself out there, and you try and try and try. When you finally get an opportunity like this, it’s huge.”
The Opera Saratoga Festival Artist Training Program is the second oldest in the country, and graduates have gone on to sing at The Metropolitan Opera, the great stages of Europe, and the West End. But no matter where they travel, they hold onto the relationships they forged as part of our local community. One Saratoga couple recently flew to London to see the singer they housed sing Christine in Phantom of the Opera, and two visiting artists even recently got married at Yaddo. The company’s managing director, Amanda Robie, was once a festival singer herself. “As an artist, you live a nomadic lifestyle, and it can be very easy to go to your rehearsals and then go home and not do anything else,” she says. “But in Saratoga, there are many fun events—house concerts at patrons’ homes, cocktail parties—where Opera Saratoga’s community eagerly meets the artists and gets to know them as people. As a solo freelance artist, that community is precious, and hard to cultivate! But in Saratoga, by show time, you have all these friends in the audience who are there to cheer you on.”
Aubrey AllicockMikaela BennettAriadne Greif
Calendar
June 2: Cabaret at the Mansion • 2pm & 7pm
June 4, 11 & 18: Listen to This at Universal Preservation Hall • 7pm
June 5: Festival Preview at The Sembrich • 7pm
June 9: Gala at the Canfield Casino • 6pm
June 15, 23, 29 & July 2: Free Family Shows
June 15: 11am • Saratoga Springs Public Library
June 19: 3:30pm • Saratoga Springs Farmers Market
June 23: 11am • Saratoga Arts
June 29: 11am • UPH
July 2: 11am • UPH
June 19: A Juneteenth Celebration with Anthony Davis at The Sembrich • 7pm
June 28, 30 & July 3, 6: Così fan tutte at Universal Preservation Hall
June 28: 7:30pm
June 30: 2pm
July 3: 2pm
July 6: 7:30pm
June 29 & July 2, 3, 5, 6, 7: Guys and Dolls at Universal Preservation Hall
June 29: 7:30pm
July 2: 2pm
July 3: 7:30pm
July 5: 7:30pm
July 6: 2pm
July 7: 2pm
June 30 & July 5: World Premiere Opera by inti figgis-vizueta at Universal Preservation Hall
Few Thoroughbred races worldwide can match the stature and historical significance of the Belmont Stakes. While the Kentucky Derby has greater name recognition to casual fans as an event of widespread cultural appeal, the Belmont can claim two significant honors the Derby can’t—its role of stamping greatness as the definitive third jewel in the American Triple Crown and its legacy impact as the race that has produced more Hall of Fame members than any other. (Through 2023, the Belmont has had 40 of its winners enshrined in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame—more than both the Derby [36] and Preakness Stakes [34]). As a championship-level contest, the Belmont ranks among racing’s most important and iconic events.
The history of the Belmont traces back to 1867, giving it the distinction of being the oldest of the Triple Crown races, predating the inaugural Preakness (1873) by six years and the first Derby (1875) by eight. More history will be made in 2024 and 2025 with the 156th and 157th runnings of the Belmont taking place at Saratoga Race Course, America’s oldest racetrack.
To say the Spa City is buzzing with anticipation for the arrival of the Belmont is a grand understatement: Saratoga is downright electric. Hotel rooms were scarce months in advance of the four-day racing festival, and numerous restaurants were also quickly booked solid. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins Thursday, June 6, but the special events in town kick off earlier that week, beckoning tens of thousands of racing fans to the Spa City. For the thousands of fans who will be in town without tickets to the track—Belmont Stakes day tickets were sold out almost immediately—numerous venues throughout Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area are planning viewing parties. The week-long bash concludes with a loaded card featuring New York–breds on Sunday, June 9.
An illustration of Jerome Park, which hosted the first 23 runnings of the Belmont Stakes.
The two-year venue change to Saratoga and the tweaks that come with it are but the latest twists and turns in the story of the Belmont. Long referred to as the “Test of the Champion,” the Belmont has been a signature contest in Thoroughbred racing since its inception—a challenge requiring the talent, stamina and heart possessed by all great racehorses. But while the traits of its winners have remained consistent, the race itself has undergone substantial variations. Distance, location and race conditions have fluctuated…and that’s only the beginning. A deep dive into the Belmont’s archives reveals an event that has experienced significant alterations to many of its characteristics since Hall of Fame filly Ruthless prevailed in the inaugural 1867 edition. Customarily held in early June, the Belmont once took place in November. There was also an edition that was held at the same track on the same card as the Preakness Stakes.
Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
Anyone clutching their pearls at the Belmont Stakes not being run at Belmont Park (or screaming “asterisk!” at the distance reduction to 1¼ miles) surely doesn’t know the history of this iconic race. America was in a traumatic struggle to piece itself back together in the aftermath of the physical carnage and emotional strife of the Civil War when Ruthless took the inaugural Belmont at the grand old venue of Jerome Park in Westchester County. The contest was named for August Belmont I, a wealthy financier and sportsman who helped fund Jerome Park’s construction and served as its first president. Jerome Park played host to the first 23 runnings of the Belmont from 1867 through 1889. When that track closed, Morris Park—built near Jerome Park on land that was later annexed into the Bronx—served as the race’s home from 1890 through 1904.
By the time Belmont Park opened in 1905, the Belmont Stakes had already been contested 38 times at two sites and five distances: 1⅝ miles from 1867 through 1873; 1½ miles from 1874 through 1889; 1¼ miles from 1890 through 1892 and in 1895 and 1904; 1⅛ miles in 1893 and 1894; and 1⅜ miles from 1896 through 1903. Whew.
1948 Triple Crown winner Citation at the Belmont. (National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame)
One of the more obscure editions of the Belmont Stakes was when Burlington won in 1890, the first year the race was held at Morris Park. A crowd of 15,000 was on hand and the spectators had the unique experience of also witnessing that year’s Preakness, an undercard race won by 5-year-old gelding Montague under handicap conditions and without an age restriction. Another oddity of the 1890s was the 1895 edition being postponed and almost scrapped because of new laws that banned bookmaking in New York; it was eventually rescheduled for November 2. Won by Belmar (also that year’s Preakness winner), the 1895 Belmont race chart noted that the “New York Jockey Club closed out its affairs. Race run under the jurisdiction of the Westchester Racing Association.”
One of the most notable renewals of the Belmont was the first one held at Belmont Park in 1905. A chestnut filly named Tanya stole the show and earned her place in Belmont lore by becoming the first filly since Ruthless to win the race. After Tanya, 102 years passed before another filly, champion Rags to Riches, achieved the glory of a Belmont victory.
Since its 1905 opening, Belmont Park has played host to its namesake race annually, with the only exceptions being 1963 through 1967, when a renovation project necessitated a move to Aqueduct that was not unlike what we’re experiencing now during the race’s two years at The Spa. The race was not contested in 1911 and 1912, when the sport was shut down in New York because of anti-gambling legislation.
Thirteen horses—Sir Barton (1919), Galant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018)—have earned immortal status by winning the Triple Crown, but the history of the calendar placement for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont has been jumbled on numerous occasions.
Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, on the first Saturday of May, followed by the Preakness two weeks later, and then the Belmont three weeks after that. (The only exception to this since 1931 was in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the Belmont leading off the series on June 20, followed by the Derby on Sept. 5, and finally the Preakness on Oct. 3. The 2020 Belmont was also shortened to 1⅛ miles, marking the only time since 1926 the race has not been contested at 1½ miles.) Before the current established coordination of the series, the Preakness was run before the Derby 11 times. Twice, in 1917 and 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were held on the same day. On 11 occasions, the Belmont was run before the Preakness.
The August Belmont Trophy, created by Tiffany & Co. in 1896.
The term “Triple Crown” was not popularized until the 1930s, when Gallant Fox and his son, Omaha, came along. Prior to that, as accomplished as he was, Sir Barton, inaugural winner of what would later be known as the Triple Crown, found his 1919 achievement quickly overshadowed by the mighty Man o’ War. Owned by Samuel D. Riddle, Man o’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby in 1920, but he won the Preakness with ease and dominated the Belmont by 20 lengths. A footnote to Man o’ War’s Belmont victory was that it was the last of 51 editions run in the English tradition of the clockwise direction. In 1921, the route was flipped counterclockwise, which has remained the format ever since.
Count Fleet’s 25-length margin of victory in 1943 stood as the Belmont record until Secretariat’s 31-length romp in 1973. Secretariat also ended a 25-year drought between Triple Crowns and his time of 2:24 set and remains both the Belmont and American record for the distance on dirt 51 years later. CBS announcer Chic Anderson famously described Secretariat as a “tremendous machine” during his jaw-dropping Belmont run. More than 50 years later, the legacy of Secretariat and what he accomplished on June 9, 1973 remains the standard by which all others are measured in racing and, specifically, the Belmont.
The Belmont has also been known for monumental upsets and has thwarted many Triple Crown hopefuls. Twenty-three horses that won both the Derby and Preakness have failed in their attempt to win the Belmont, including Hall of Famers such as Northern Dancer, Spectacular Bid, Silver Charm, Sunday Silence and Alysheba. A record crowd of 120,139 attended the 2004 Belmont when Smarty Jones was denied the Triple Crown by Marylou Whitney’s Birdstone. It was the third straight year a Triple Crown hopeful was defeated in the Belmont. The gracious Whitney, understanding the impact of a potential Triple Crown on the sport, apologized to the owners of Smarty Jones for her horse winning the race. When California Chrome faded in the stretch of the 2014 Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line, many wondered if the sport would ever see another horse accomplish the feat. Then came American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify three years later.
Who’s next? Perhaps America’s 14th Triple Crown winner will be crowned in the Spa City. What an amazing chapter in Saratoga’s distinctive history that would be.
Belmont Stakes Facts
Saratoga Race Course will be the fifth track to play host to the Belmont Stakes. The event has previously been held at Jerome Park, Morris Park, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track.
The race has been contested at five different distances:
Before Belmont Park opened in 1905, the Belmont Stakes had already been contested 38 times at two venues and counted six Hall of Famers among its distinguished winners. Talk about a rich history.
Jerome Park, located in Westchester County, played host to the first 23 editions of the race from 1867 through 1889. The Belmont was then relocated to nearby Morris Park from 1890 through 1904. Since its opening, Belmont Park, on Long Island, has been home to the prestigious race with the only exceptions being 1963 through 1967, when it was moved to Aqueduct while Belmont was being renovated.
More than a half-century later, Belmont Park (named after August Belmont II, founder of both the Belmont Stakes and the park) is once again undergoing a significant revitalization project, necessitating the Belmont Stakes find a new home for at least 2024 and 2025.
Hello, Saratoga!
While the Spa City and the legendary Saratoga Race Course prepare to step in to add a couple of new chapters to Belmont Stakes lore, the race’s iconic history will always be defined by its downstate roots.
One of the Belmont’s most notable editions was the first one held at Belmont Park in 1905. A chestnut filly named Tanya—with famous connections and significant Saratoga achievements to her credit—stole the show. A chestnut daughter of English sire Meddler out of the Hanover mare Hardspun, Tanya was bred in New Jersey by William Collins Whitney. Before Tanya made it to the track, Whitney died in early 1904. Tanya, along with numerous other horses from the powerful Whitney stable, raced that year under a lease agreement for Herman B. Duryea. Tanya was later purchased outright for $7,000 by Whitney’s son, Harry Payne Whitney.
Trained by future Hall of Famer John W. Rogers, Tanya was a precocious juvenile, winning both the Hopeful and Spinaway stakes at Saratoga in the summer of 1904. After her victory in the Hopeful, The New York Times said Tanya’s performance was “the most remarkable run by a filly in the memory of turfmen” and her reputation “ranks with the best of her age and sex that the American turf has ever produced.”
As a sophomore, Tanya had raced only once, finishing off the board, prior to being entered in the Belmont. Although some were doubting her ability to replicate her 2-year-old success, Tanya found her best form and delivered on the big stage.
Contested at 1¼ miles, the 1905 Belmont “was one worthy of the stakes,” said The New York Times. “On the stretch (Eugene) Hildebrand, who rode Tanya, eased her up for a few strides, seemingly confident she had the race won, but the field … closed so fast at the end that Hildebrand was compelled to urge the filly out. Tanya, tiring at the end, lasting in the lead just long enough to win by a neck from Blandy.”
The only filly prior to Tanya to win the Belmont was Hall of Famer Ruthless in the inaugural 1867 edition. After Tanya, 102 years passed before another filly, champion Rags to Riches, achieved the rare glory of a Belmont victory.
Injuries plagued the remainder of Tanya’s career. She was retired after two starts in 1907 with a career record of 6-2-1 from 12 starts and earnings of $71,372. She is retrospectively recognized as the Co-Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of 1904 and Co-Champion Filly of 1905, sharing both honors with Hall of Fame member Artful.
