By Geri Falzon

In front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 45,000 screaming spectators, Mike Smith raised his arm in victory as Drosselmeyer crossed the finish line to win the 142nd running of the Belmont Stakes.

By Jessica Haimowitz

Floral designer, appropriately named, Anthony Green has no problem working twenty hour days. As the staff Floral Designer for the New York Racing Association, he always anxiously prepares for the highly anticipated Belmont Stakes. That means coming in at 4 a.m. every morning and staying until about midnight, making sure all the floral arrangements are absolutely perfect.

By Steven A. Grieco

With tears in his eyes, longtime jockey Richard Migliore announced his retirement after a career ending injury.

By Mark Berner

There is a theory in the press box at Belmont Park that says the trainers which have saddled winners in previous Triple Crown races always win more than their share of races on the supporting cards of the three classic races for three-year-olds.

By Mark Berner

It was the other bird. Summer Bird, that is. And he upset the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird to win the 2009 Belmont Stakes by 2 ¾ lengths before a crowd of 52,861. The winner, trained by Tim Ice, was considered to be just another son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone after he beaten by 13 lengths in the Kentucky Derby. But Kent Desormeaux gave Summer Bird the rail-skimming ride that Calvin Borel should have given Mine That Bird and took the race from them. Borel instead chose to move outside horses in the Belmont and that proved to be the difference at the end of 1 ½ miles.

By Mark Berner

D. Wayne Lukas has always been bold and outspoken about his horses. Some say brash, loud, and braggadocios. So when Lukas embraces his humble I'm-just-an-old-trainer persona it raises a red flag. And when he deflects questions about his horses with a plan to alter the Triple Crown, a much closer look at the two colts he entered in the Belmont Stakes is warranted.

By John Swenson

Everyone knows there are horses for courses, but there are also trainers for courses. And when it comes to the Belmont Stakes no trainer enjoys a greater home court advantage than Hall-of-Famer Nick Zito.

By Mark Berner

Mine That Bird, winner of the Kentucky Derby and second in The Preakness, drew post position seven and was installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite for the June-6 Belmont Stakes. A field of ten has been assembled for the longest and oldest Triple Crown race. The 141^st running of the 1 ½-mile classic will not be the stage for a rematch between Mine That Bird and the Preakness-winning filly Rachel Alexander. However, jockey Calvin Borel who rode both winners and has a chance to be the first rider to win all three Triple Crown races on different horses, guaranteed that Mine That Bird will win.

By Mark Berner

By Mark Berner

On a rainy Sunday afternoon at Belmont Park jockey John Velazquez was astride a nine-year-old Thoroughbred that hadn't won in 28 starts, dating back to May 28, 2004. However on September 28, 2008, Rouge Agent and Velazquez, wearing orange silks, stood out like a beacon under a gray sky. The pair took command in the homestretch, drew away emphatically in the final eighth-mile, and won the day's first race by six lengths. That win was the 4,000th victory of Velazquez's 18-year career and One Fein Stable's chestnut gelding, trained by Peter Walder, increased his record to 8-for-60.