NEW YORK (AP) — Tiz the Law has won an unprecedented Belmont Stakes, claiming victory at the first race of a rejiggered Triple Crown schedule and crossing the finish line in front of eerily empty grandstands.

The 3-year-old colt from upstate New York charged to the lead turning to the front stretch and now can set his sights on the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby and Oct. 3 Preakness.

All three legs of this year’s Triple Crown schedule were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Belmont, usually the series capper, was initially scheduled for June 6.

Tiz the Law gave New York a hometown champion in its first major sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic seized the area.