Current:Home > ScamsWhy the 2024 Belmont Stakes is at Saratoga Race Course and not at Belmont Park-InfoLens
Why the 2024 Belmont Stakes is at Saratoga Race Course and not at Belmont Park
View Date:2024-12-23 15:08:14
Those tuning into the 2024 Belmont Stakes on Saturday will notice a few different things about this year's race, other than there will be no Triple Crown winner for the sixth straight year.
Also, it's not being held at Belmont Park, in Elmont, New York, where the "Third Jewel of the Triple Crown" has been mostly held in this current location since 1905, when the race moved from Morris Park Racecourse in Westchester County, New York.
The Belmont Stakes is in its second year on FOX Sports after the network signed an eight-year deal to broadcast the race. Veteran broadcaster Frank Mirahmadi will call the race.
Why the 2024 Belmont Stakes was moved
In December 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the 2024 Belmont Stakes would be at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, some three hours north of Belmont Park because the racetrack was undergoing a major renovation.
The last time the Belmont Stakes was not held at Belmont Park was in 1967 because of another renovation at the venue. The races from 1963 to 1967 took place at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York.
The renovation, which will cost nearly half a billion dollars, is expected to last through 2025 and be ready for the race in 2026. It includes demolishing the current Belmont Park grandstand and clubhouse, replacing fencing throughout the backstretch, and modernizing the barn area.
The Belmont Stakes purse will increase from $1.5 million to $2 million, and the track length will be shortened from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 miles because of the track shape. In past years, the Belmont Stakes crowd has topped out at over 100,000 spectators. Saturday's race at Saratoga is expected to entertain approximately 50,000.
veryGood! (3465)
Related
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- French Open women's singles final: Date, start time, TV channel and more to know
- Biden says he would not pardon son Hunter if he's convicted in gun trial
- Natalie Joy Shares How a Pregnancy Scare Made Her and Nick Viall Re-Evaluate Family Plans
- Insurance magnate pleads guilty as government describes $2B scheme
- Some Florida Panhandle beaches are temporarily closed to swimmers after 2 reported shark attacks
- This week on Sunday Morning (June 9)
- Florida Sen. Rick Scott says he’ll vote against recreational pot after brother’s death
- Skai Jackson announces pregnancy with first child: 'My heart is so full!'
- Detroit Lions lose an OTA practice for violating offseason player work rules
Ranking
- Forget the bathroom. When renovating a home, a good roof is a no-brainer, experts say.
- Where things stand on an Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal as Hamas responds to latest proposal
- Watch as fearless bear fights off 2 alligators swimming in Florida river
- Black D-Day combat medic’s long-denied medal tenderly laid on Omaha Beach where he bled, saved lives
- Champions Classic is for elite teams. So why is Michigan State still here? | Opinion
- How Amy Robach's Parents Handled Gut Punch of Her Dating T.J. Holmes After Her Divorce
- National Doughnut (or Donut) Day: Which spelling is right? Dictionaries have an answer.
- Seven charged in smuggling migrants in sweltering secret compartment with little water
Recommendation
-
Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit
-
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' Daughter Suri Reveals Her College Plans
-
4 hospitalized after small plane crashes in suburban Denver front yard
-
As Another Hot Summer Approaches, 80 New York City Neighborhoods Ranked Highly Vulnerable to Heat
-
Man killed in Tuskegee University shooting in Alabama is identified. 16 others were hurt
-
Miss Alabama Sara Milliken Claps Back at Body-Shamers
-
How Amy Robach's Parents Handled Gut Punch of Her Dating T.J. Holmes After Her Divorce
-
Ford recalls more than 8,000 Mustangs for increased fire risk due to leaking clutch fluid