Renovations will move Belmont Stakes to Saratoga in 2024 - ESPN

The Belmont is heading to Saratoga for the first time — but almost certainly not the last.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that the 2024 Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course, with the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown shifting upstate from Long Island because of the massive renovation of Belmont Park.

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 is a good chance of the Belmont at Saratoga two years in a row.

«This is likely a two-year endeavor,» NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke said by phone Wednesday. «We're going to get it right, and we're going to improve on it each year.»

Pending the approval of the North American Graded Stakes Committee, the Belmont will be run at a distance of 1¼ miles, shorter than the race's traditional 1½ miles because of the shape of the dirt track at Saratoga. It was 1⅛ miles in 2020 when the Belmont led off the Triple Crown run out of order because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That Belmont had no fans. A crowd of up to 50,000 is expected this time to witness history.

«The ability to have the Belmont up at Saratoga, a bunch of circumstances would have to come into alignment,» O'Rourke said. «It's the most historic venue in the country. It's one of the coolest sporting venues on the planet, and it's one of the greatest tourist towns in the nation. Everyone's excited.»

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.

«It's a win for horse racing and for the Capital Region to have the