Belmont Park, the iconic horse racing and betting venue located in Elmont, New York, will be getting a sweeping renovation that will take two years and nearly half a billion dollars before racing returns in 2026.
Belmont’s New Look
Belmont Park opened its doors to the public in 1904 and it took until 1968 before the venerated horse racing venue underwent renovations. Fast forward 56 years and here we are, another desperately needed series of updates set to begin at one of Thoroughbred racing’s most iconic tracks.
Demolition of the grandstand and clubhouse is expected to begin between March and July, which will put a halt to all racing activities until the project is completed in the third quarter of 2026. This has all been made courtesy of a $450 million loan by the state to the New York Racing Association. It is expected to create 3,700 direct and indirect construction jobs while generating a $1 billion economic impact on the construction industry.
There will be three primary upgrades to Belmont Park’s footprint including the grandstand/clubhouse seating sections, the backstretch area, and the barns where the horses are stabled. The most noticeable will be the fan area which will be reduced from a 1.25 million square-foot floor plan to approximately 275,000 square feet.
The gleaming new grandstand/clubhouse will be the most noticeable transformation for old and new patrons alike but some of the other improvements will be confined mainly to where the trainers, jockeys, hotwalkers, and all those hands-on workers who comprise the horse racing industry ply their respective trades. Those improvements to the backstretch and barn areas will be as follows:
- Three new dormitories will be constructed
- Improvements to the on-site medical facility
- Installing a modern Blue Light security system
- Upgrading the recreation hall and track kitchen facilities
- Renovating the on-site gymnasium
- Implementing new flood mitigation strategies
- Ensuring access to reliable Wi-Fi
- Replacing fencing throughout the backstretch
- Improving multi-modal travel by constructing bicycle storage sheds
- Assess the feasibility of subsidized assistant trainer efficiency apartments
NYRA Board of Directors chairperson Marc Holliday, said, “The new Belmont Park will be a thoroughly modern racing and entertainment facility that will take its place on the global stage among iconic venues like Ascot, Longchamp and the Curragh. It is an honor to design and develop a venue that will appeal to racing enthusiasts and attract a new generation of fans. Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Hochul, the new Belmont Park will be immediately recognizable as a New York landmark and symbol of the enduring appeal of top-quality Thoroughbred racing.”
Schedule Shift
The Belmont Stakes, the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, will be moved this year and next to the posh Saratoga Race Course located nearly 200 miles north. The Breeder’s Cup will also be moved but an alternate destination has not yet been announced.
Although the shift in location for those major horse racing events will be temporary, racing at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens will be permanently shuttered once Belmont reopens for business. The plan is for the state to construct a housing development where the track currently stands.
We should also note that Resorts World, which owns the racino adjacent to the track has made a $5 billion pitch to the state to open a stand-alone Las Vegas-style casino. The legislature has yet to award three highly-coveted downstate casino licenses but Resorts World has an inside track as it is already operating something similar at the same location.
