The Belmont Sprint headlines winter racing at Belmont on Saturday. It was first won by Freestyle in 1963, a three-year-old colt trained by Buster O’Malley. Here is a further overview of the Group race.
BELMONT SPRINT: OVERVIEW
- It was run over 1200m from 1963-72 & 1974-77, 1300m from 1973 & 1978-81; 1400 since 1982.
- Since 1980 it has held Group 3 status.
- Notable winners included Luckygray, Grand Nirvana, Marasco, Rock Magic, Elite Belle and Let Go Thommo.
BELMONT SPRINT JOCKEYS
- Paul Harvey and Dan Staeck share the best Belmont Sprint riding record with three wins each.
- Harvey: Modem (2004), Marasco (2008) & Universal Ruler (2009).
- Staeck: Grand Nirvana (2010-2011) & Kerrific (2013).
- Danny Miller, John Wilson, Mark Sestich, Paul Dyson, Link Robertson and Pat Carbery and Lucy Warwick are dual winners of the Belmont Sprint.
- Staeck Harvey and Wilson are the only hoops to win the Belmont Sprint in successive years.
- Father and son Ross and Craig Staples share bragging rights; the former guided home Clear Mak (1973), the latter followed up on Corporate Bruce (2001).
BELMONT SPRINT TRAINERS
- Fred Kersley has trained a record four Belmont Sprint’s. His first arrived in 1993 courtesy of Dynamor and continued with Marasco (2008), Grand Nirvana (2010-2011).
- Kersley leads by two over Grant Williams, Buster O’Malley, Harold Campbell Brian Boyle and Justin Warwick.
- Boyle and Williams are the only successive trainers of the race. Boyle: National Boy (1978-1979), Williams: Elite Belle and Shining Knight (2014-2015).
BELMONT SPRINT GENDER
- The boys have it over the girls since the inception of the Belmont Sprint.
- 35 geldings have recorded wins.
- Mares and horses have won it seven times each.
- The last mare to win: Wink And A Nod (2016).
BELMONT SPRINT BARRIERS
- Barriers one and five have recorded seven wins
- Barrier one has been successful in three of the past five years.
- Barriers two and six are the second most successful starting positions.
- Barriers 14, 15 and 17 have not recoded wins.
BELMONT SPRINT/FASTEST TIME
- Fastest time recorded over current distance (1400m): Another Omen-1.21.68 in 1987.
BELMONT SPRING AGE
- Four and five-year-old’s have won the race on 18 and 19 times respectively.
- Six-year-olds have been successful on nine occasions
- Three three-year-old’s have shone through six times
- As seven-year-olds Rock Magic (2017) and Countlike (1970) are the oldest horses to win the Belmont Sprint.
BELMONT SPRINT/ROMA CUP
- Santaland (1968), Firelight (1969), Clear Mac (1973), Craigie Boy (1975), National Boy (1979), Tangiers (1980), Tribula (2003), Modem (2004), Grand Nirvana (2011) and Luckygray (2012) & Rock Magic (2017).
PREVIOUS RUN
- Since 2000 11 of the past winners were successful at their previous starts
- Four were first up in their campaigns
- Five were Roma Cup winners
PAST WINNERS SINCE 2000
| 2018 | Material Man | Lucy Warwick | Justin Warwick |
| 2017 | Rock Magic | Jarrad Noske | Chris Gangemi |
| 2016 | Wink And A Nod | Lucy Warwick | Justin Warwick |
| 2015 | Shining Knight | Peter Hall | Grant Williams |
| 2014 | Elite Belle | William Piuke | Grant Williams |
| 2013 | Keriffic | Dan Staeck | Watkins/Hitchcock |
| 2012 | Luckygray | Shaun O’Donnell | Gino Poletti |
| 2011 | Grand Nirvana | Dan Staeck | Fred Kersley |
| 2010 | Grand Nirvana | Dan Staeck | Fred Kersley |
| 2009 | Universal Ruler | Paul Harvey | Darren McAuliffe |
| 2008 | Marasco | Paul Harvey | Fred Kersley |
| 2007 | Beat The Storm | Pat Carbery | Ross Price |
| 2006 | Let Go Thommo | Link Robertson | Steve Ryan |
| 2005 | Who Did It | Pat Carbery | Viv Ferrier |
| 2004 | Modem | Paul Harvey | Trevor Andrews |
| 2003 | Tribula | Stephen Miller | Arthur Mortimer |
| 2002 | Dark N Dangerous | Troy Turner | Ken Shanks |
| 2001 | Corporate Bruce | Craig Staples | Hec McLaren |
| 2000 | News Review | Paul Dyson | Lindsey Smith |
Julio Santarelli
www.rwwa.com.au