The Belmont Stakes is headed to Saratoga in 2024 for the third leg of the Triple Crown.
With massive renovations needed at Belmont Park, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the move with the hope it is a temporary solution to longstanding issues.
“Yes, it is a temporary situation, and we hope to be even further ahead of schedule so we can end it sooner,” Hochul said in a press conference in the Bronx.
Belmont Park has needed renovations for decades, and a $455 million Belmont Park project has been approved.
This is the first time Belmont Park has been renovated since 1963, when the Triple Crown finale was moved to Aqueduct in Queens until 1967.
Initial reports expect this to be a two-year move to Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes, although nothing is official yet.
Renovations include ripping up both turf courses and the main track and installation of a new synthetic surface beneath. The renovations are expected to continue well into 2025.
“This is likely a two-year endeavor,” NYRA president and CEO David O’Rourke said. “We’re going to get it right, and we’re going to improve on it each year.”
Contestants will be putting their best hoof forward, as the prize money was also pumped up $500,000 to a clean $2 million purse for the winning horse.
Oddly enough, the Saratoga race track is 1¼ miles, slightly shorter than Belmont, which is known for its legendary 1½ miles.
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The event is slated to take place from June 6-9 in what they are calling the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The race will take place that Saturday, as always.
Arcangelo won this year’s Belmont Stakes.
“It’s good we have at least an alternative,” Hochul told said, explaining that the worst-case scenario was canceling the race altogether. “Instead of shutting down Belmont completely, we can take the races elsewhere in the state.”