Racing fans take note, the 52nd annual running of the Man o’ War Breeders’ Cup stakes is set for July 10, 2010 at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. A Grade I event, the race offers a purse of $600,000 and is open to horses three years and up. The race is run over a distance of 1 3/8 miles on the grass.

The 2009 race was won by then four-year old Gio Ponte who is trained by Christophe Clement and is owned by Castleton Lyons Farm Farm. With entries not yet finalized for Saturday, entrants anticipated for the 2010 stakes include Gio Ponte, 8-year old Interpatation, 4 year-old Bearpath, 5-year old Expansion, 7-year old Grand Couturier, 6 year-old Mission Approved and 4-year old Midnight Silver.
Should Gio Ponte win, he would join the roster of horses with most wins, all consecutive incidentally, including Majesty’s Prince (1983 & 1984), Solar Splendor (1991 & 1992) and With Anticipation (2001 & 2002). This field is down from the official list of 28 nominations finalized on June 26, 2010.

The oppressive heat wave New York City is currently experiencing is slated to break by mid-week and spectators should expect temperatures of around 85 degrees at post time on Saturday.