By Kelsey Durham
A crowd of more than 100,000 spectators soaked up plenty of fun Saturday at the 146th annual Belmont Stakes in hopes of witnessing the first Triple Crown in 36 years, but they remained in high spirits even after the race failed to make history. The return trip home was another matter.
Audience members of all ages made their way to the track in Elmont to take in the day’s races, enjoying food, drink and plenty of sunshine while watching the 13 races that took place that day. Although crowd favorite California Chrome fell short of the coveted Triple Crown, finishing in a tie for fourth place, members of the audience were still happy to be a part of the event.
“It’s a chance to see history,” said Karen Zirkle, a Connecticut resident who was taking in her first Belmont experience this weekend. “The energy is so fun. It’s just America’s culture.”
The hundreds of thousands of people who attended the races also experienced monumental problems during the commute home, whether in traffic or waiting for trains. Spectators who relied on the Long Island Rail Road reported standing in line for more than two hours, while drivers waited two to three hours to make it out of the parking lot.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
