Tiz the winner

As expected, Tiz The Law, owned by Sackatoga Stables of Saratoga, won the Belmont Stakes Saturday afternoon, rallying to win by 4 lengths at the wire.

For the owners, it completed a career Triple Crown 17 years in the making, after Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby & Preakness in 2003.

This year's Derby isn't until September 5, but will Tiz The Law race again before then? Saratoga and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) hope so. The August stakes schedule for Saratoga has been shuffled somewhat with the announcement that the Travers, billed as the Midsummer Derby, will be contested a couple of weeks earlier than usual this year, on August 8. The Jim Dandy, a traditional prep for the Travers, switches spots on the calendar, and will be run the weekend of August 22-23, with the Kentucky Derby to follow two weeks later.

When Saratoga begins its season July 16, there won't be fans in attendance, just like at Belmont, and so it is at this point uncertain whether or not that will change by August 8. For NYRA and their media partners, including NBC, it would be a wish fulfilled if it does.