Saratoga Race Course finds itself in the rare situation of hosting the Belmont Stakes this week, and the famed venue has prepped for the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown by boosting seating, hospitality and sponsor involvement.
For the first time since 1967, the Belmont Stakes will be held somewhere other than Belmont Park because the Long Island track is undergoing a $455 million renovation. Both Belmont Park and Saratoga are owned by the New York Racing Association.
Racing is set for June 6-9, highlighted by the 156th edition of the Belmont Stakes on June 8, which will air on Fox. Additional coverage will be featured on FS1 and FS2. NYRA expects about 150,000 fans across the four days and the Belmont Stakes has sold out.
Saratoga, which opened in 1863, has taken steps to ensure that the venue switch doesn’t alter the spectacle of the race for fans.
“Keeping everyone in mind from a fan standpoint and from a partner standpoint, we wanted to definitely provide high-end premium experiences for fans, partners and clients,” said Kevin Quinn, vice president of sales and hospitality at NYRA.
Quinn said about 1,000 seats were added (track capacity is 50,000). A premium, double-decker pinnacle suite on the first turn and additional reserved picnic areas were brought in as well. QuintEvents was tapped for premium hospitality concepts, while Levy handles food and beverage operations.
NYRA also leaned on local catering partner Mazzone Hospitality to provide fans the opportunity to pre-order picnic bundles. A majority of dining locations at the track were converted from an a la carte experience to an inclusive dining experience included in the ticket price.
Saratoga increased concession and bar points of sale by 100% compared to a regular Saratoga Saturday. Ten new specialty food trucks were added as well as a temporary, secondary Shake Shack and Papa Rosso location.
A new Jim Dandy Bar will be open to all attendees, while five new trackside Spa Veranda sections and a Fourstardave Lounge will be featured premium hospitality hubs.
New sponsors include DraftKings, Rivers Casino, Ford, F.W. Webb, Ticketmaster, Resolute Racing and MTV Solutions.
The purse of the Belmont Stakes has increased to $2 million while the total purse for the 24 stakes races is $10.25 million, marking the highest purse levels and number of stakes offered since expanding into the multiday event format in 2014.
