Creator wins the 2016 renewal by a nose! (photo: Belmont Stakes)
There will indeed be a 2020 version of the US Triple Crown, though this time the last shall be first.
Bloodhorse.com reports that the New York Racing Association has announced the $1 million Gr1 Belmont Stakes will be contested June 20 at Belmont Park without fans, making it the opening leg of a series that has been shuffled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from a new date and a reduction from last year’s purse of $1.5 million, the 152nd Belmont Stakes will also be run at a shorter distance of 1800m around one turn, according to NYRA’s May 19 statement.
Originally scheduled for June 6 as the final race in the five-week-long Triple Crown chase for 3-year-olds, the Belmont Stakes will kick off a series typically known as the spring classics that will now span 15 weeks from the spring through the fall.
