HAMBLETONIAN AND BELMONT TROPHIES ON DISPLAY AT CHATEAU GRAND HOTEL
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COLUMBUS, OH -- July 18, 2024 -- The Hambletonian and Belmont Stakes trophies are on display at the Chateau Grande Hotel in East Brunswick, N.J., from Tuesday (July 16) through Friday (July 26) each day between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. The public is invited to visit for photo opportunities.
Chateau Grande Hotel co-owner and Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC owner Vito Cucci, who was the breeder of 2022 Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell and is owner of 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornach, has arranged the trophy display to celebrate those wins and show his support for horse racing.
The Hambletonian, the prestigious second leg of the Trotting Triple Crown, is scheduled for Saturday (Aug. 3) at the Meadowlands.
Dornoch is scheduled to race in the upcoming Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Racetrack in Oceanport, N.J., on Saturday (July 20).
Cucci also owns Standardbreds racing at The Meadowlands, Freehold Raceway and other harness racing tracks.
In a private dinner not open to the public, at the Orchard Park by David Burke restaurant at the Chateau Grande Hotel on July 19, Cucci and World Series winner Jayson Werth from the Philadelphia Phillies will join harness racing’s Hall of Fame driver John Campbell, president of The Hambletonian Society, and his wife, Paula, co-founder of the New Jersey-based Standardbred Retirement Foundation, as well as Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment CEO Jeff Gural.
Belmont winning jockey Luis Saez and trainer Danny Gargan along with Monmouth Racetrack CEO Dennis Drazin will also be in attendance.
The Hambletonian perpetual trophy on display is a silver bowl that has been used since 1939.
A smaller replica, which the winning owners receive, is crafted by the world-renowned silversmith Ubaldo Vitali of Maplewood, N.J. His work has been presented to the Queen of England, and in numerous exhibitions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Due to the high interest shown in the trophies, members of the public planning on dining at the Orchard Park restaurant should make reservations in advance at 732.554.5714 or online at www.orchardparkbydb.com.
