Tiz The Law wins the Belmont Stakes with ease

There have been no major sports events since the coronavirus pandemic halted everything from Wimbledon to the Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, March Madness and the Kentucky Derby. But the third leg of the Triple Crown became the first leg on Saturday with the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes from Elmont, New York.

The Belmont Stakes would be run under different conditions with no fans and a shorter distance. The race is usually run at 1 1/2 miles, making it the longest of the three major races. That distance was shortened to 1 1/8 miles due to the adjustment of the racing calendar amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

No. 8 Tiz The Law (4-5) was the heavy favorite and he lived up to expectations with an easy win with a time of 1:46.53. Manuel Franco hung out in the third position right out of the gate on the shortened track. The race was tight early on until he pulled away down the stretch and never looked back around the final turn, surging outside to claim the lead.

The New York-bred horse was trained by Barclay Tagg, who is now the oldest trainer to win the Belmont Stakes at 82.

Racing returned to New York on June 1 and the Belmont Stakes was able to pretty much remain on schedule, while the Derby and Preakness were moved to the September 5 and October 3 respectively.

Dr. Post (7-1) came in second, followed by Max Player (14-1) in third and Pneumatic (17-1) in fourth.