A number of jockeys took a knee before horse racing resumed at Belmont Park on Wednesday.
Including the jockeys, nearly 20 people were seen kneeling as part of a moment of silence. Jockeys stood for a moment of silence to pay respects for those who died of COVID-19 and in tribute to medical professionals then took a knee in the paddock prior to the first race as a show of solidarity with protesters in the wake of George Floyd's death on May 25 while in police custody in Minneapolis.
"There's a lot going on in the world right now, and we wanted to show respect to all causes, and to all people, and to show that we here at [the New York Racing Association] support everybody," jockey Reylu Gutierrez said. "Horse racing, in general, supports all ethnicities. Horse racing is a worldwide sport, and it doesn't matter what color you are, what religion you are or what ethnicity you are. What matters in horse racing is that we are one."
Wednesday marked the first horse racing in New York since March 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Belmont Park had been scheduled to start its season April 24 prior to the delay.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.