County Executive Suozzi and Commissioner of New York State Parks Bernadette Castro are pictured with The Belmont Stakes trophy which is a Tiffany-made silver bowl, supported by three horses representing the three foundation thoroughbreds - Eclipse, Herod and Matchem

Garden City, New York - Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi was the Master of Ceremonies at the Belmont Park 100 Year Anniversary Ceremony today at the Garden City Hotel. He was joined by owners, trainers and jockeys, President of the NYRA Charles Hayward; Commissioner of New York State Parks Bernadette Castro; President of Nassau Regional Off Track Betting Larry Aaronson; Chairman of the Belmont Child Care Association Michael Dubb; and thoroughbred, CBU, a retired racehorse.

"For 100 years Nassau County has hosted the Stakes at Belmont Park," said County Executive Suozzi. "The race provides the County with a tremendous shot in the arm to our economy and this Saturday afternoon, the entire world will be watching us once again. We couldn't ask for a better start for our summer tourism season. Three years ago we set the record for attendance at Belmont Park with over 103,000 spectators. I am challenging all horse racing fans to turn out and help us set a new attendance record this year."

The County also expects a restaurant and hotel boom as a result of the 2005 Belmont Stakes, to be held this Saturday, June 11, 2005, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Belmont is the largest track of its kind in the nation. This Saturday will mark the 137th running of the Belmont Stakes.

Also present today was Harry Frank of the Guggenheim Foundation, which was one of the founding members of the NYRA. Guggenheim also provided a number of Belmont Racing Trophies. The Belmont Stakes trophy is a Tiffany-made silver bowl, supported by three horses representing the three foundation thoroughbreds - Eclipse, Herod and Matchem. The bowl is 18 inches high, 15 inches across and 14 inches at the base.