The last leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown runs this Saturday at Belmont Park, the historic track located in Belmont, NY, where Queens and Long Island meet.
You might think that racing fans are all alike. But if you’ve ever ventured into Belmont, you know they aren’t. I discovered that personally.
Photo courtesy Thoroughbred Daily News
Once upon a time, I was a stranger in a strange land, AKA Belmont Park for the Belmont Stakes. “Belmonters” (my term) are distinctive, if not unique. They are (in no particular order) a youthful, hard-drinking, and fashion-conscious tribe.
Belmonters drink early and often. Period. Doors open at 8:30, and the drinking starts, well, immediately. Beers (16 ounces) went for $10, probably a lot more now, and Belmonters forked it over without hesitation.
Surprise, surprise, some Belmonters just can’t hold their booze. Some pass out and lie on the side. Fellow Belmonters, photo ’em. EMTs order the casualties to get up, threatening them with a trip to the hospital if they don’t.
When there’s so much drinking, restrooms are the big, well, winners or losers, depending on how you look at it. At Belmont, which I found ancient and (not in a lovable Fenway-type way), there weren’t enough for women. Throughout the day, women were relieving themselves in the men’s room. One frustrated woman in the men’s loo muttered something about Caitlyn Jenner. At the end of the day, I was surprised to find that an uncouth, lazy man had just finished urinating in the stairwell. The men’s room was just yards away, no line.
The biggest race at Belmont might be the one after the big race when Belmonters race out to get to the Long Island Rail Road. Someone mentioned a five-hour wait. It’s long but probably not that long. When you’re blasted, memories get hazy.
Photo courtesy America’s Best Racing
At Belmont, there’s an enormous Great Gatsby vibe. Women do bonnets, big, round sunglasses, and sundresses. Men wear blazers, suspenders, bow ties, and hats. Pastels are huge all around. For so many, it’s not about who wins the race. It’s about who wins the runway.
At the track, there’s a special language. You can pick a favorite. You can bet to win, place, or show. You can pick a parlay. And so on and so on. Most Belmonters don’t know this language – and they’re never going to learn it. Belmonters are there to be seen.
A very small handful of Belmont residents engage in criminal activity. At the end of the race day, some bad Belmonters swiped cash off concession stand tables. No empty pockets for them.
What a place! What a day!
____________
Jon Hart is the author of Unfortunately, I was available, the sequel to Man versus Ball: One Ordinary Guy and His Extraordinary Sports Adventures.
