Admission and parking are free
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 3, 2014) – Keeneland will throw a Belmont Day party on Saturday to celebrate California Chrome’s quest for racing’s Triple Crown, featuring a New York-style menu, drawings for $2 win tickets and official programs from Belmont Park, and the chance for one lucky fan to place a $500 win bet on the horse of his/her choice in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
Admission and parking at Keeneland are free on Belmont Day. Gates open at 9 a.m.; Grandstand mutuel windows open at 11:05 a.m. Post time for Belmont’s first race is 11:35 a.m.; post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:52 p.m.
Fans can register in Keeneland’s Paddock for the Belmont Sweepstakes – grand prize is the chance to place a $500 win bet on the Belmont. Drawings will also be held for Belmont gift packages that include a $2 win ticket on California Chrome from Belmont Park and a souvenir Belmont program.
Advance wagering on the entire Belmont Day card will be available at Grandstand mutuel windows on Friday, June 6, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Drive-thru mutuel windows will be open Friday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. until Belmont post time.
The Belmont will cap the $1 million-guaranteed Pick Six that begins with the sixth race (post time 2:36 p.m.) and $1.5 million-guaranteed Pick Four starting with the eighth race (post time 4 p.m.). The Belmont Day race card features nine graded stakes, six of which are Grade 1 races: the Acorn (G1), Just A Game (G1), Manhattan (G1), Met Mile (G1), Ogden Phipps (G1) and Belmont.
Keeneland Select will host seminars with noted handicapper Ellis Starr at the Wagering Central tent in the Paddock prior to each of races 6-11.
The Belmont race card will be simulcast on Keeneland’s infield LED board, North Terrace and Paddock video walls and on televisions throughout the Grandstand. Monitors also will be dedicated to NBC Sports’ live coverage of the race.
Fans are welcome to bring their own picnic items (excluding alcohol), blankets and lawn chairs, or sample the fare from one of the concession stands or full-service bars open around the Grandstand. Tents, canopies, lawn umbrellas, grills and glass are not permitted inside the gates.
In honor of the day, Keeneland will feature Manhattan clam chowder, Italian meatball sandwiches and New York cheesecake, as well as the “Belmont Breeze,” the official drink of the Belmont. There will also be a California Chrome Special of spicy beef or Spanish chicken tacos.
The trackside Equestrian Room will be open for reservations. Tickets are $5 prepaid, with a $10 minimum food and drink purchase. Reservations for the Equestrian Room may be made online at Keeneland.com.
In addition to Belmont, Keeneland will feature simulcast racing on Saturday from such tracks as Churchill Downs, Monmouth Park, Woodbine, Pimlico, Gulfstream, Arlington, Santa Anita, Indiana Downs and Belterra Park.
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