The starting gate at Belmont

Belmont Park will be packed on Saturday as Big Brown, who has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, tries to win the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. Thousands of spectators will try to get as close as they can to the finish line. But what happens at the beginning of the race might be just as important, and that is where the workers at the starting gate come into play.

When races are held on a normal weekday at Belmont, a visitor can drive down a leafy road connecting back parking lots and amble up to the chain-link fence to watch the starting gate action close up.

Life at the Starting Gate at Belmont Park