Horse deaths at Churchill Down cast shadow over this weekend's running of Belmont Stakes
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- The final jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown will be run this weekend. The best horses in the world return to New York for the running of the Belmont Stakes.
As CBS2 found out on Wednesday, bets are already being placed.
"I'm going to divide my bet evenly between these two Nassau jockeys," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
A festive tone was set in Garden City, complete with hats, the Belmont starting gate, and, of course, horses.
"Tens of thousands of people from all over the world are coming to Nassau County for this great athletic event, and we got two great jockeys that we honor here today that are Nassau County residents," Blakeman said.
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The first two legs of the Triple Crown were won by the two jockeys, Javier Castellano and John Velazquez, respectively.
"Basically, we are undefeated. We win the Kentucky Derby and we win the Preakness," said Castellano, who won the former.
And now, the two hall of fame jockeys return to their home track for the longest race, all while the sport is facing its biggest challenge, after 12 horses died in five weeks at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, a lingering mystery that has the horse racing community on notice.
"Maintaining the track is one of the most important things -- more vets, more screening for the horses. It's important. These are the important things to keep both the horses and jockeys safe," Preakness winner Velazquez said.
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The Belmont is statistically the safest of all Triple Crown races. While concerns cast a shadow, when the thoroughbreds step into the gates at Belmont the prime objective will be safety.
"Remember, horses and jockeys. If something happens to that horse, there is a person on top of the horse, too," Velazquez said.
Spectators can attend with confidence that Saturday will be a day of celebration.
The jockeys also say the horses have not been effected by the recent poor air quality caused by the wildfires in Canada.