Business Still Booming at Garden City Hotel Without Triple Crown

"It's disappointing," says Garden City Hotel General Manager Nasser Samman regarding Friday's news that Triple Crown contender I'll Have Another has scratched from Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

But the sudden loss of the potential history-making component of the June 9 race will not hurt profits at the Seventh Street hotel, according to Samman.

"We're still busy. We are sold out," he told Patch Friday afternoon. "The restaurants will be packed, the activities are still the same [including tonight's festival on Seventh Street] ... the excitement is still there."

Many of the owners, trainers and jockeys of the horses that are still competing in the 144th running of the Belmont Stakes are staying at the Garden City Hotel.

As for the spectators, even though the highlight of Saturday's race has dropped out, they won't be able to do the same with their room reservations as the hotel has a "no cancellation" policy, according to Samman.

"It's unfortunate that there is no potential Triple Crown," Samman says, "but a Belmont Stakes is always an exciting sporting event."   

Do you think the loss of the Triple Crown race will hurt the local economy? Tell us in the comments section below.