Long Island Races to Belmont

With yet another Triple Crown on the line, thousands of Long Islanders are migrating to Belmont Saturday with the hopes of witnessing history.

While some opted to drive to Belmont this year after last year’s disastrous Long Island Rail Road commute, trains were still packed to the brim with ladies wearing wide, glamorous hats and men in bow ties and fedoras.

The biggest race of the day will be when American Pharaoh bolts down the track and attempts to snag the first Triple Crown title since 1978.

A second race will begin the moment the horses cross the finish line as LIRR attempts to win back the hearts of racegoers. About one-third of the more than 100,000 people who attended last year’s races were disappointed when it took three hours just to board a train home.

MTA officials are admitted they never expected such a massive amount of people.

“We’ve never had that kind of ridership before at Belmont. . . .Thirty-six thousand people arrived at Belmont between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and they all wanted to leave within the same 60 minutes,” LIRR spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said, according to Newsday.

In an effort to avoid the clogged diaspora, LIRR sold a limited amount of tickets to the race. No one can enter from the LIRR without a Belmont ticket. They also advised passengers to buy round trip tickets to avoid lines when the race is over.

Weekday commuters are already ticked off as to why their monthly tickets don’t cover passage to Belmont.

Check out the griping, commuting, and hat-wearing below:

Image via Flickr Creative Commons/Michael Candelori