Dutrow's two winners put him at 2,000 career-victories mark
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ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Rick Dutrow entered Sunday’s Belmont Park card having just one win from his last 35 starters since Igniter won the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9.
But Dutrow went 2 for 2 Sunday at Belmont Park and when Long Pour took the seventh race, a second-level allowance/optional claiming race for New York-breds, it was his 2000th career victory.
Dutrow, who also won race 4 with 10-1 shot Tapwrits Temper, wasn’t on hand to witness the milestone victory, opting to watch the races from his house.
“I’m glad we won 2,000, I hope we can keep going and keep winning more,” Dutrow, 66, said. “We feel good about things today. It was good, it was fun. Both of them ran big today, hopefully we can win a couple of races next week.”
Dutrow’s most accomplished horse is Big Brown, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2008. He won the last Breeders’ Cup Classic held at Belmont Park, when Saint Liam won the event in 2005 and then, after serving a 10-year suspension handed him by the New York Gaming Commission (2013-23) for past rules violations, Dutrow won the BC Classic again in 2023 with White Abarrio.
Other Grade 1 winners trained by Dutrow include Benny the Bull, Boys at Tosconova, Court Vision, Silver Train, Sis City and Willy Beamin.
Blake Dutrow, Rick’s nephew and assistant, saddled both of the barn's winners on Sunday.
“It’s very special,” he said. “[Thank you] to all the horses along the way that have made it possible, and the owners. The guy who owns this horse, Kenny Page, is a childhood friend of Rick’s that worked for my granddad. Michael Dubb is involved. It takes those kind of people to get to that number.”
Dubb, who was in the winner’s circle, said “the shame of it is, it should have been 3,000.”
NYRA to add 3 dates in October
Belmont Park will race three Wednesdays in October - 14, 21 and 28 - to make up for three previously canceled cards from earlier in the year, the New York Racing Association announced Sunday.
The three additional dates make up for lost programs of Feb. 8 and 22 at Aqueduct and July 29 at Saratoga.
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