NY Really Needs Belmont

The state of New York badly needs some optimistic news and they were hoping The Belmont Stakes gambling would be helpful.

Unfortunately for the State of New York, The Belmont Stakes betting isn't going to be as popular as it has been since the competition won't have either the Kentucky Derby champion or the Preakness champion. It is the first time since 2006 since that has happened.

The Belmont Stakes gambling will be wide open but they won't get the kind of press that the state of New York wanted. Horse racing in NY is in bad shape. It is possible that Saturday, June 5th may be the last day of racing in New York. Saratoga is supposed to begin their meet on July 23rd but there is no promise that is going to happen. The New York Racing Association is in sad shape. "We need some financial relief from the state or we will not be able to run a full Belmont meet," NYRA president and CEO Charles E. Hayward said, "Everyone knows what's at stake and we're trying to reach a good solution." The NYRA is owed a lot of money by New York City Off-Track Betting and now the Belmont won't have a Triple Crown on the line which means another $3 million out the window.

Kentucky Derby champion Super Saver won't be in the field in The Belmont Stakes gambling. Preakness champion Lookin at Lucky won't race either. They'll get their rematch in the Haskell at Monmouth Park this August. "I like the Belmont but it's a tough race on them," said Lookin at Lucky trainer Bob Baffert. "I want to keep this horse around."

Nick Zito's Ice Box, who was second in the Kentucky Derby will be the likely favorite in The Belmont Stakes gambling. "It's sad that the Derby winner and the Preakness winner aren't in there," said Zito. Ice Box will likely be joined by Dwyer Stakes champion Fly Down who is also trained by Zito. He is very unhappy about the racing problem in New York. "It kills me," Zito said, "It's ridiculous. It's a hard thing to swallow because New York is New York."

Some other horses that might be in the The Belmont Stakes betting field include Drosselmeyer, Preakness second place finisher First Dude, Game On Dude, Make Music for Me, Setsuko, Stately Victor, Stay Put and Uptowncharlybrown. Horses New Madrid and Dublin were considered to be entered in the contest until a short while ago when their trainers said that they would not be racing in the Belmont stakes.

Dublin ran in both the Kentucky Derby and in the Preakness but he won't be on the board in Belmont gambling. Dublin was going to be the horse that competed in all three but trainer D. Wayne Lukas chose to let the horse rest. Lukas said that Dublin "has had five races in 12 weeks." Dublin will be directed to other races including the Haskell or Jim Dandy prior to the Breeders' Cup in early November. "The race in front of you always looms the most important one," said Lukas. "Then once you get past that, the next one has the greatest magnitude. Knowing how that goes, we'll sit this one out and wait for the next series of big races."

Race officials said last Friday that New Madrid would not be racing in the Belmont. No explanation was offered.