FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 25, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 33
buzz
BY AMY TENNERY
Reuters
Tiz the Law won the Belmont Stakes
in front of empty stands at Belmont
Park on Saturday, clinching the fi rst
leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.
Th e colt was followed by Dr Post
and Max Player at the New York event,
which is usually the last leg of the
three races that make up the Triple
Crown.
However, this year it was contested
fi rst as the Kentucky Derby and
the Preakness Stakes had to be postponed
until later in the season due
to the COVID-19 outbreak, which
has claimed some 120,000 lives in the
United States.
Th e New York-bred Tiz the Law, the
odds-on favorite, hung back in third
place for much of the race, keeping on
the outside aft er breaking out of the
eighth post in the 10-horse fi eld, fl ooring
it on the home stretch to surge into
the lead and claim a decisive victory.
“I was pretty confi dent by the time
we hit the seven-eighths pole,” jockey
Manny Franco said. “He was so kind
and relaxed for me.”
Trainer Barclay Tagg — whose 2003
horse Funny Cide won the Kentucky
Derby and the Preakness Stakes but
was denied Triple Crown glory at the
Belmont — said he was glad to have
“lived long enough to have another
horse like this.”
“I’ve wanted to have a Belmont victory
before I gave it up or died or
something like that,” he said with a
laugh.
‘New York, New York’ Roaring
crowds were replaced with an eerie
silence at the fi nish line, as fans and
even owners were barred from the
stands in accordance with safety protocols
during the pandemic.
Th e Belmont, a typically raucous
aff air that drew a record 120,139 spectators
in 2004, was empty except for
venue employees and some members
of the media, with concession stands
and betting windows closed.
Tiz the Law, who strode from the
paddock as Frank Sinatra’s “New York,
New York” played, is the fi rst New
York-bred horse to win the race since
1882, ending the host state’s unlucky
streak. Governor Andrew Cuomo
called for “riders up” prior to the race
in a televised appearance applauding
the resiliency of New York, which was
hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.
“Over the last three months, New
Yorkers have been tested in many
ways,” said Cuomo. “We’re celebrating
a great, great New York tradition.”
Th e Kentucky Derby is set to be the
next race in the Triple Crown on Sept.
5 and the Preakness is set for Oct. 3.
Photos by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Tiz the Law wins
Belmont Stakes
to clinch fi rst leg
of Triple Crown
/WWW.QNS.COM
