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Originally Posted by philcski
I agree that Belmont Park is a tremendously fair track on 95% of days, however.
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I agree with that statement generally. The problem is that on most of the recent Belmont Stakes Days, the Belmont racing surface has been just as souped up as we frequently see at Churchill on Derby Day. In 2004, it was particularly pronounced, with Bear Fan running 1:14.2 in the Vagrancy, Speightstown running 1:08.0 in the True North, and Fire Slam going 1:20.4 in the Riva Ridge (now Woody Stephens). Similarly fast tracks in 2005, when Limehouse went 9F in Brooklyn in 1:46.3 and Woke Up Dreamin' got 6F in 1:08.1, and in 2006, when Jazil covered the 12F in 2:27.4, and a horse like Anew won the True North in 1:08.