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Belmont Stakes Expected To Be Run On 'Wet-Fast' Track

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The rain is over and there's a decent chance the Belmont Stakes will be run over a fast racetrack.

READ MORE: MONZO'S 145TH BELMONT STAKES PREVIEW

Following a day of rain Friday into early Saturday morning in the New York area, the weather forecast is calling for partly sunny skies, winds up to 14 mph and temperatures in the high 70s.

Glen Kozak, the vice president of facilities and racing surfaces for the New York Racing Association, says he's "pretty confident we'll be wet-fast" by the Belmont post time of 6:36 p.m., and "if we get real lucky we'll be fast."

A wet-fast track means the racing surface will still have moisture in the dirt. If the track is sealed before the race, the surface will look slick; if it's harrowed, it won't.

With post time for the first race 11:30 a.m., the main track is listed muddy and the turf course yielding.

Of the five turf races on the program, only one — the third race — has been moved to the main track.

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MUDDERS: The 2011 Belmont was the most recent to be run over a sloppy track, and it produced a 24-1 long shot winner in Rule On Ice.

Like this Belmont, the '11 race featured the Kentucky Derby winner (Animal Kingdom) and the Preakness winner (Shackleford). The Preakness winner ran fifth, the Derby winner sixth.

Derby winner Orb was the early 3-1 favorite for Saturday's 145th Belmont, with Preakness winner Oxbow the 5-1 third choice.

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SECURITY RAMPED UP: With thousands of fans filing into Belmont Park for Saturday's Belmont Stakes, there was a noticeable increase in security.

GUIDE TO THE BELMONT STAKES

Metal railings were set up at the main entrance for racing fans to walk through single file. As they did, New York Racing Association officials conducted electronic wand searches and checked bags for prohibited items.

New security measures prohibit backpacks, cameras with detachable lenses, coolers and purses larger than 12 inches in diameter. Several fans had to leave coolers behind before being allowed to enter the track, according to one security officer.

"Whatever they have to do to make it safe is fine with me," said Elise Disimone of New York as she entered the track.

An out-of-towner was surprised to see such tight security.

"I've never been to any event in California where security was as tight as it is now," said Nate Wigle of Sacramento, Calif. "I'm with friends from Jersey and New York and they said 'that's the way it is out here ... we're always on alert.'"

Umbrellas were prohibited, too, but after a 24-hour downpour that ended early Saturday morning, there was no rain in the forecast.

The extra security for the Belmont Stakes was put in place following the Boston Marathon bombings.

New York state, city and Nassau County police also were at the track, where a crowd of 40,000-50,000 was expected to watch Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Preakness winner Oxbow and 12 others run in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.

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(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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