Belmont Park will open its spring/summer meet on Wednesday with more than 50
improvements to the facilities, including upgrades to the spacious main
building, the beautiful backyard, and the racetrack surfaces.
“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our facilities,” said Charles
Hayward, president and CEO of the New York Racing Association (NYRA). “With the
multitude of upgrades in place, our fans, horsemen, jockeys, backstretch
workers, employees and horses will be treated to a safer, more efficient, and
aesthetically pleasing Belmont Park.”
The customer areas, including the main building and the backyard, underwent a
myriad of upgrades. Among the many improvements, high capacity water supply
lines were installed, including a supplemental water pump for use on high volume
days, and the majority of the transformers serving the building were replaced.
Also, many of the metal railing surfaces were stripped and re-painted, the
paddock underwent a number of renovations, including new sod and improved
drainage, and more picnic tables were added in the backyard.
Additionally, a new hospitality area was created at the “Top of the Stretch.”
This location provides the ideal setting for a casual gathering. It features
charcoal barbeque pits, umbrella-top tables, can handle groups ranging from 50
to 250, and has a spectacular view of the races.
The world-renowned Belmont Park racing surfaces also saw a number of
improvements. In order to ensure the safety of horses and riders, a brand new
lighting system was installed on the training track, several pieces of important
racetrack maintenance equipment were upgraded, a new surface was installed in
the jogging barns, and an additional running lane has been added on both of the
turf courses.
The 64-day Belmont Park meet runs through July 26, with live racing Wednesday
through Sunday. On most days, gates open at 11 a.m. (EDT) and first post is at 1
p.m. There is no live racing on Mondays or Tuesdays, with the exception of
Memorial Day, May 25. Belmont Park will also be dark on May 27 and June 7.
The traditional highlight of the meet is the Belmont S. (G1), the third leg
of the Triple Crown for three-year-olds over 1 1/2 miles, which will be run on
June 6. The Belmont anchors a program that includes five other graded stakes,
including the Manhattan H. (G1) for older horses at 1 1/4 miles on turf, the
Acorn S. (G1) for three-year-old fillies at a mile, and the Just a Game S. (G1)
for fillies and mares at one mile on the turf.
Other highlights of the meet include the Metropolitan H. (G1) at one mile on
May 25; the Ogden Phipps H. (G1) for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on June
13; the Mother Goose S. (G1) for three-year-old fillies at nine furlongs on June
27; the Man o’ War S. (G1) for older horses at 1 3/8 grassy miles on July 11;
and the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) for sophomore fillies at 1 1/4 miles on
July 25.
Graded stakes action starts right away on Wednesday with the $100,000
Westchester S. (G3) for older horses over a mile. Opening week graded stakes action continues Saturday, Kentucky Derby Day,
when the Nassau County S. (G3) will be run as well as the Fort Marcy S. (G3) and
Beaugay S. (G3), two grass stakes that had been contested in recent years during
the closing weekend of the Aqueduct meet.