The Belmont Stakes

For you racing enthusiasts out there, no need to explain. But for the rest of us, here is an explanation of the Belmont Stakes. First of all, everyone's heard of the Kentucky Derby. Well, the Belmont Stakes is like the Kentucky Derby, it's a horse race and it's part of the Triple Crown. Many people have heard of the Triple Crown. A race horse needs to win the three big races to be crowned a Triple Crown winner, like Secretariat or Man of War. The Belmont Stakes is the last and hardest leg of the Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby or just plainly "the Derby", is the first race and the Preakness Stakes is the second race. The Belmont Stakes is the hardest race because it is the longest and requires good timing and endurance. Most Triple Crown attempts are broken up by the the Belmont Stakes where the winners have won the Derby and Preakness. Anyway, enough of the explanation.

Tara and I, along with my parents, and Derek and Edon went to the Belmont Stakes yesterday. It takes place in New York on Long Island, just a half hour out of the city. It was cool to be there. The ladies were dressed up in summer dresses and big hats and the gents wore linen suits with light blue or pink shirts with ties. Very metrosexual! It was cool though. We were underdressed, but so was half the crowd. There were 11 races on the day and we were there for the last five races.

Mine That Bird - Winner of the Kentucky Derby





We visited the paddock where they saddle the race horses and the jockeys "foot up". We got up close and personal with the jockeys and the horses at the paddock. We watched as Mine That Bird walked by, winner of the Derby. It was a fun day, but not perfect for the ladies because there was a lot of cigar smoking (not by us), a lot of gambling ( yes, we did gamble, but only $2 bets), and a lot of cleavage ( I forgot my sunglasses).