Belmont Stakes Relocates to Saratoga Race Course in 2024

The 2024 Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course for the first time, with the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown shifting upstate from Long Island because of the massive renovation of Belmont Park.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday the move to the heart of the Capital Region. Pending the approval of the North American Graded Stakes Committee, the Belmont will be run at a distance of 1 1/4 miles, shorter than the race’s traditional 1 1/2 miles because of the shape of the dirt track at Saratoga. It was 1 1/8 miles in 2020 when the Belmont led off the Triple Crown run out of order because of the pandemic.

“Beyond the excitement and energy around a Triple Crown event at the sport’s most beloved venue, the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course will generate important economic impact and drive tourism,” New York Racing Association President and Chief Executive Officer David O’Rourke said. “We are thrilled to add a new chapter to the story of thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs this June.”

The move has been expected for some time since the New York Racing Association unveiled plans for the $455 million Belmont Park project. Construction is expected to last into 2025, so there’s a good chance of the Belmont at Saratoga two years in a row. The race is expected to return to Belmont Park in 2026.

The 2020 pandemic-era Belmont had no fans. A crowd of up to 50,000 is expected in 2024 at Saratoga, which opened in 1863 and annually hosts events including the Travers Stakes, the oldest major horse race in the United States.

“It’s a win for horse racing and for the Capital Region to have the excitement and the ability to host the four-day festival in June at America’s most historic track,” Hochul said in a statement.

The purse will increase from $1.5 million to $2 million and the race will be part of a special four-day run at Saratoga a month before the usual summer meet there begins July 11. Racing in New York is currently happening at Aqueduct in Queens, which was home to the Triple Crown finale from 1963-67, the last time Belmont Park was renovated.

The Belmont Park project will upgrade the 117-year-old track, bringing modern hospitality offerings while dramatically expanding the amount of open space available to fans and the surrounding community. The Belmont Stakes was inaugurated in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack and moved in 1905 to Belmont Park.