LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 5, 2012) – Keeneland will be in a “New York State of Mind” on Saturday when it hosts a Belmont party in celebration of I’ll Have Another’s quest to become racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner.
A full day of simulcast racing, New York-style food concessions, live music and drawings for a 42-inch flat-screen HDTV and Belmont souvenir programs and mutuel tickets will be featured.
Admission and parking are free. Gates open at 9 a.m. on Saturday; grandstand mutuel windows open at 11:15 a.m. Post time for the first race from Belmont is 11:35 a.m.; post time for the Belmont Stakes is set for 6:40 p.m.
Advance wagering on the entire Belmont Day card will be available at grandstand mutuel windows on Friday, June 8, beginning at 12:30 p.m.Drive-thru mutuel windows will be open Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. until Belmont post time.
Fans are welcome to bring their own picnic items, including blankets and lawn chairs, or sample the fare from one of the concession stands or full-service bars open throughout the grandstand. 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. Reservations for the trackside Equestrian Dining Room are also being accepted at www.keeneland.com.
Cookies decorated with the silks of I’ll Have Another will be sold, with proceeds benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Fans can register to win a 42-inch flat screen HDTV. Other drawings will be conducted for souvenir Belmont programs and $2 win tickets purchased at Belmont and awarded in the event I’ll Have Another completes the Triple Crown. Fans who register for Saturday’s giveaways will receive a “Uno Mas Mario!” promotional item in honor of I’ll Have Another’s jockey, Mario Gutierrez.
The Belmont race card will be simulcast on Keeneland’s infield LED board, and on television monitors and video displays around the track. Monitors also will be dedicated to NBC Sports’ live coverage throughout the afternoon.
Keeneland fans can play Belmont’s $1 million-guaranteed Pick Six that begins with the sixth race (post time 2:34 p.m.), and $1 million-guaranteed Pick Four starting with race eight (post time 3:59 p.m.). The Belmont is race 11 on the 13-race card.
Fans can also wager on the special Brooklyn Handicap/Belmont Double beginning at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Double links the $200,000 Brooklyn Handicap (G2) on Friday with Saturday’s Belmont, both marathon 1 1/2-mile stakes.
In addition to racing from Belmont Park, Keeneland will offer simulcast wagering on Arlington, Calder, Churchill Downs, Delaware Park, Golden Gate, Hollywood, Louisiana Downs, Monmouth, Presque Isle Downs, Thistledown/River Downs and Woodbine.
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