Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (WNYT) – Police were proactive, sending a plainclothes undercover detail to work at the Belmont Stakes over the weekend, together with state police and NYRA security. 

They were watching the crowd. 

Police say they saw someone steal a lot of cash from a man in the clubhouse area.  He didn’t even know he had been hit.

“This is a group of people that are very good.  Basically, it’s called the South American theft group.  They’re targeting a lot of high-end sports, such as F1, that happened in Nevada, Las Vegas.  They’ve been at the Kentucky Derby.  They were here last year, so we decided this year to be a little more proactive in sending out undercover and plain-clothes officers.”

A woman from Jersey City is now charged with robbery, and two men from Brooklyn are charged with conspiracy.

Last year, thieves took a pricey watch, a Patek Phillippe worth about $180,000, from someone at the Belmont Stakes, also in the clubhouse area. 

The thieves were so good, in fact, that they lifted the luxury watch right off a wrist, and the victim never even noticed until about an hour later.

Police worked on that case for six months.  In December, they announced they had identified four suspects with addresses in Missouri and California.

Two of them had recently been arrested in Las Vegas for involvement in a similar crime.

With crowds heading to Saratoga Springs this summer.  Police will be on the lookout.

“For the rest of the season on a lot of the major race days, we’re going to continue doing that operation, with the help of NYRA security as well as state police and the county sheriff we’re going to be actually concentrating on that to hopefully stop that again.”

People love the racing season.

“I would suggest know where your money is, make sure you know where your watches are, make sure you know where your property is, because these people are very good and they’re going to try to take it from you.”   

But it’s a safe bet that police will also be there, too, keeping an eye out for criminals.