SARATOGA SPRINGS — “Should the construction of a new Belmont Park require the Belmont Stakes to be run at a different venue, the NYRA will aim to hold the event at historic Saratoga Race Course. A Belmont Stakes at Saratoga is an event that would capture the attention of the entire sports world while driving tourism and generating significant economic impact for Upstate New York. While Belmont Park will always be the home of the Belmont Stakes, the construction downstate presents an exciting opportunity to bring a Triple Crown race to Saratoga.”
That statement, issued by New York Racing Association Vice President for Communications Patrick McKenna, tells the Saratoga Springs community the 2025 running of the historic Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga.
Speculation about the possibility of a Belmont-at-Saratoga meeting began earlier this year when the NYRA obtained $455 million in financial backing from the state to create a virtually new Belmont Park at its present location in Elmont.
Construction of a new grandstand to replace the present 50,000-seat structure is slated for next year and is expected to continue through 2025. The new building, according to McKenna, will seat 8,000 to 10,000 and free up space in the expanded backyard and in the infield for the estimated 50,000 spectators that turn out for the third leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing.
The addition of a synthetic racetrack, that will join the mile and a half main track and the turf course, will allow for winter racing. When year-round racing is a Belmont reality, Aqueduct Race Course in Queens, with its seating capacity of 10,000, will be demolished and returned to the state.
This year, 48,000 spectators were on hand at Belmont Park to see Arcangelo and jockey Javier Castellano win the 150th running of the Belmont. The 2025 Belmont-at-Saratoga, according to McKenna “will be a multiday festival — possibly two or three…
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