NYRA Confirms Belmont Stakes To Be Run At Saratoga In 2025

During a public discussion with Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus at Universal Preservation Hall on Wednesday, the New York Racing Association's CEO David O'Rourke confirmed that the 2025 Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course. The news was reported by the Times-Union.

It had previously been announced that the Belmont Stakes would be held at Saratoga Race Course in 2024 to allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park, the Long Island home of the third leg of the Triple Crown.

“The ability to leverage Saratoga during this period of reconstruction is invaluable for the continuity of the racing program,” O’Rourke said Wednesday. “These are marquee races. The entire weekend is stacked with stakes, really important ones that lead into the Saratoga meet. … In a lot of ways, having Saratoga increases our ability for continuity as we rebuild Belmont. It’s key to the whole racing ecosystem we are trying to keep together during the next two years.”

While 2024 will mark the first time the Belmont Stakes unfolds at Saratoga, the race was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack from 1963-1967 when Belmont Park last underwent significant renovations. Traditionally run at the “Test of the Champion” distance of 1 ½ miles, the distance has been adjusted throughout history and as recently as 2020 when the Triple Crown was modified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more at the Times-Union.