Behind the Scenes at the Belmont Stakes

A Long Hiatus Before This Belmont Stakes For Me

Article and Photos by Diana De Rosa

It had been awhile since I had covered a Belmont Stakes but after a long hiatus I was back again reliving what I remembered doing many times in the past. And when I was down on the finish line capturing the pictures what a thrill it was to see Afleet Alex gallop boldly ahead of the rest of the field.

Besides spending the day at Belmont Racetrack for the 137th Belmont Stakes (June 11th), there were a couple of other events that I had attended during the week. The Wednesday before race day was when the draw for post position took place and the trainers of some of the horses were there to talk about their horse’s chances. For me it wasn’t just about the race, it was also about the goings on behind-the-scenes…the parts that you don’t get to see or hear about.

I found it interesting walking into the Belmont Breakfast (which is where the draw took place) to observe all the faces I’d seen so often many years ago. That was before I started working for Christopher Reeve which caused me to split my time between my journalism and life working with Chris. But here I was again looking at it from a different viewpoint. No longer did I feel like the lucky new reporter on the block watching and listening and learning. Five Olympic Games under my belt and so much more experience had done me a world of good. This felt like coming back to a familiar place with lots of people that I recalled chatting with in the late 80s and early 90s. There were many young, new and agile newcomers but also a lot of familiar faces. Those old “friends” had a few more grey hairs, a few extra pounds, and movement that didn’t always glide. Yet, what was still the same was their passion and love for the sport of racing.

While it was familiar being back in the Press Box, things were different from my recollections. Everything seemed toned down a bit. The Belmont Breakfast media turnout was good but not as many people were there as I remembered in the past, yet in talking to those in the press room they were impressed by the turnout. The Press Party which once was really extravagant with elephants and camels and face painting and so much more, now was a simple elegantly casual affair. The food was great, the band was good and I still had a nice time but it was far from the lavish event I once remembered. But again, apparently this has been the way it’s been for all those years I’d been away from the racing scene and for them it was the usual great party.

In the end, none of that seemed to matter because the real focus of the week was the Belmont Stakes. That’s the day the three year olds come out to run the longest of the three Triple Crown Races (the other two being the Kentucky Derby won by Giacomo (jockey: Mike Smith) and the Preakness won by Afleet Alex. At a mile and a half the Belmont is the race that truly tests the endurance of this strong field of horses.

Dreamer & Dreamworks

I was at the Belmont for a variety of reasons but probably the key one was because of my involvement in a project with DreamWorks. They are producing a film called “Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story” which will open nationwide on October 21, 2005. This is the story of a father who, for the love of his daughter, sacrifices almost everything to save the life of an injured racehorse and bring the promising filly back to her former glory. The film stars Kurt Russell (“Miracle”), Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds”) and Kris Kristofferson (“Lone Star”).

While I do cover a lot of horse events, and in the past a lot of racing, it hasn’t been something I’ve done recently. Since I’ll be writing features leading up to the movie, I felt it was important for me to get back into the race world, to once again feel what it’s like to be at the track, see the enthusiasm of the crowds and get inside the heads of the jockeys, trainers and horses as they vie to win one of the biggest races of their career. I also wanted to expand my database of contacts because those covering the race were also good ones to network with about the movie.

So, there I was living through Belmont Stakes Day watching the world below from the Press Box which is way up top and overlooks everything.